Imagined Life
by Anjelle
Summary: Sabo is a famous novelist working on the latest installment in his series of books called One Piece. However, when he kills off one of his characters - Portgas D. Ace - he is surprised to find said character came to life in his living room. And the headache ensues.
1. From My Mind

**Before we get started, a few warnings:**

**Warning #1: Chapter 2 will ****not**** be posted soon. I posted the first chapter for you guys to get a feel for the story but I'm going to wait to update until I have chapter 7 written out. I have 3 1/2 chapters completed and normally it wouldn't take me long to get to chapter 7 and update but, as many of my veteran readers will note, I hurt my hand and it slows down my typing immensely. That being said, I'll try my best to get it done at as decent pace. So please don't ask for fast updates. The reason I'm waiting is because I have 5 other stories going, along with bonus chapters and oneshots that I'm working on. That's A LOT of writing. So if I suddenly add this to the list it'll get overwhelming. By waiting until I have 7 chapters written I'll assure that you guys will have more to read even if I can't work on the story for a while and stopping here prevents you from getting too involved in the story before having a long break. You may wonder why I didn't wait until later to upload this story. Well, I wanted to gage how many people are interesting and give all of my old and new readers a glimps into what the story is going to be like. Plus I felt bad for only updating one story since I hurt my hand.**

**Warning #2: This story is FILLED with foreshadowing, hints and things being more than they appear. I'll post a hint counter so that you can try to search for them if you feel like it, because you'll want to catch them early in order to follow the story completely. Some are VERY subtle, though. This chapter doesn't have too many but as the plot deepens there will be a lot more.**

**Hints: 7**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. If I did... Oh the things I would do.**

* * *

The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by a lamp. Everything was bathed in a golden light. At the wooden desk was an old, worn-out book. It was opened. In it words were being written neatly in black ink by a large, unmarked hand. It hurriedly ran across the page, speeding up as what it wrote grew in intensity. And then it stopped, allowing the ink to pool where pen met paper.

The writer sighed and leaned back in his chair, tangling his hand in his pale blonde locks. He was starting to feel a smidge of regret. Sure it was only a character in his novel, but he had a nasty habit of growing attached to the fictional beings. It took a lot of time and effort to design them, come up with their mannerisms and build their personalities. After all of that they seemed to come to life on the page. And, in essence, they were each a part of him. That's what made the latest section of the story so difficult to write.

He found himself absently reaching for a second book. He opened it and flipped through the pages, momentarily looking at each of his drawings. The sketchbook contained designs for each and every character mentioned in the book. He had a habit of going to ridiculous lengths forming the individuals in his stories, going so far as to describe the way they laughed and moved—how they carried themselves. He gave them hopes and aspirations as well as fears and could understand the inner workings of their minds much like he did his own, even if they were villains. Truly he couldn't hate any of them because of how much he knew. Maybe that was part of being a novelist.

His absent flipping stopped when he reached the sketch of the character that was troubling him—Portgas D. Ace. When he designed that character he went into more detail than he usually did, which meant a lot seeing as he always went overboard to begin with. He didn't mean to—the character was made for a specific purpose and was not to become one of the main characters of the story—but couldn't stop. The information just spilled out onto the page as though it was natural. And again he grew attached.

Now he was facing off in an internal battle with himself. That character was made to die. The whole point of his existence was to be used as a catalyst that would send the main character on the path to becoming stronger. He based everything around that fact and now he was having regrets. Though he hadn't yet implemented it into the story, he had written out all of the aspects of his childhood and upbringing. He'd given him a hard life and a dark disposition—a result of what was said about his father. And finally, when he was truly happy for the first time, his life would end. He would sacrifice himself for his brother.

The blonde was left feeling guilty. Never before had he done something so cruel to one of his characters and his mind was wrought with sorrow. Even if the character was just a result of words on paper—a slice of his imagination—it felt wrong.

_Come on, Sabo, you're overreacting._

He closed the sketchbook and sighed a second time before readying his pen. Again his neat handwriting continued and he began the arduous task of writing out the most tragic scene in the story thus far. He had Ace stop when he heard one of the Admirals insult his captain. He visibly cringed at the mental image, knowing what would lie ahead. He found himself ridiculous; he was mentally yelling at Ace to take Luffy and run despite being the one who was writing the scene out—a testament to just how much he liked the character. And then the fighting began. Luffy dropped the vivre card. Ace took a blow for him and fell into his arms.

"Sorry about this," Sabo murmured as his pen paused once more. He took a deep breath and wrote out one of the hardest things he ever had.

_"Thank you for loving me."_

As he finished the last sentence of that chapter he felt a warm liquid stream down one of his cheeks. Damn he was emotional. He felt like he just murdered one of his best friends. It wasn't right. After that he couldn't bring himself to continue. Gently the blonde closed the worn cover and placed it in the top drawer of his desk.

Sabo picked himself up and walked across the room before he collapsed on the bed, eyes tired and heavy. He felt a massive headache coming along and didn't want to move from that spot. The pounding started to get so bad that he couldn't move without writhing in pain.

In the midst of his turmoil he heard a bang come from the other room. He ignored the seething agony within his skull to push himself off the bed and grab a knife that was always kept on his nightstand before cautiously filing out into hallway. When he reached the other end he peeked around the corner to the living room. It didn't look like there was anything out of the ordinary—that is, until he looked down.

After a few minutes of blank stares he rubbed his head and turned around to head back into the bedroom. _Clearly I'm hallucinating. Must be the headache. _However, he was stopped when he heard groans coming from behind him. He froze in place. Never before did he have an audio-visual hallucination. He really must have been tired—or mentally ill.

"Ah, damn it!" a voice chocked out.

Slowly Sabo spun around with wide eyes. On his floor lay a shirtless, black-haired man covered in wounds. He was battered and bruised with his faced scrunched up in a look of pain. The man rubbed his head gently as the writer tried to process what he was seeing. He looked every bit like how he imagined Portgas D. Ace.

The man opened his eyes and sent a cold look his way. Sabo flinched; though he had written about that horrible glare he never thought he would bear witness to it. Then the freckled man gazed around the room, confusion ever-present on his face.

"Where the hell is this?" he asked, not expecting much of a reply.

Sabo swallowed heavily and prepared to speak. "My place." Again those icy eyes met his, sending shivers up his spine. "Who are you?"

The man shuffled until he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, arms resting on his thighs. He gave the area another glace before he scrutinized the boy in front of him, judging his appearance.

"Portgas D. Ace." Sabo felt his body grow numb. "Now tell me who you are."

The blonde raised a shaky hand to his forehead, eyes wide and disbelieving. He stumbled until his back was flush with the wall and he used it to keep himself steady as he tried to process what he was seeing. The knife slipped from his palm and clanked into the wood floor. Somehow a character from his latest novel had appeared in his living room just as he imagined him. No amount of rational thinking was going to fix that. He never had as lucid a hallucination as that before.

"Oi, you okay?" the man asked. When he received no answer he picked himself off the floor and headed over to the blonde, placing a worried hand on his shoulder.

Sabo jumped at the touch and it was clear by his confused expression that Ace noticed. That couldn't be real. He could _feel_ the hallucination? Was that even possible? "This can't be happening," he mumbled in a daze. Was he going insane?

He felt the hand shake him a bit, bringing his attention back to reality—if it could be called that.

"Oi, you don't look so good. Maybe you should sit down."

Sabo looked at the man, shocked to see how real he appeared up close. "Y-yeah." He made his way over to the couch with Ace's help and sat on its plush surface, leaning into its back as he entered a more comfortable position. "Thanks." He just thanked a hallucination—by then he was too far gone.

"What's wrong?" Ace asked, showing just a bit of concern for the stranger.

"I-it's just… This is…" Sabo inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm himself. It worked, for the most part. "This shouldn't be possible."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sabo exhaled and began rubbing his temple to sooth his raging headache. "You're not real."

This time the freckled man's face contorted into a disbelieving look. "I'm plenty real. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes, that's what I don't get. You shouldn't _be_ here. You shouldn't even_ exist_."

Ace's eyebrow twitched at that last part. "Got a problem with me?"

Sabo sighed—that was_ exactly_ how he would expect his character to react to those words. He hated how accurate he was; he even got the tone right. "That's not what I'm saying. It's just… Portgas D. Ace is a character, _not_ a real person."

"…What are you talking about?"

Feeling calm enough to stand, the blonde wrapped his hand around Ace's wrist and dragged him out of the room, down the hall and into his bedroom. He stopped at his desk and grabbed the sketchbook off its surface, flipping until he reached the character design of Gold Roger's son. He scanned the page and shivered at the similarities it held to the man behind him, and then handed it off to the latter.

Ace looked at the drawing. It showed him in his casual outfit wearing his orange hat and beaded necklace. There was a close-up of his dagger with lines trailing across it to areas of writing that elaborated on it. That went for the other items as well. On the other side of the page was very fine print. After reading some of it he noticed that it detailed his mannerisms, habits, physical features and even his narcolepsy. His brows knitted together in contemplation. "…What is this?"

"It's you, essentially." At that Ace turned and gave him a confused look before his focus returned to the book, scrutinizing it further. "Portgas D. Ace is a character in my novel."

Ace's eyes widened at that and he ran his hand across his image. That was him? He was just something drawn on a piece of paper? "…But I have memories. You're being ridiculous."

Sabo let out a shuddering breath as he opened the top drawer of desk and grabbed hold of the worn notebook with yellowed pages. He held it firmly in front of his face, flaunting it in an effort to make sure the man understood. If he really _was_ the Ace he wrote about then he was stubborn as hell and the only way he would believe it was if he was showed undeniable proof. "If you really are Ace then all of your memories come from this."

Ace took the bound pages in his hand, skimming them to get the basics of what was written. The beginning detailed his capture and detainment in Impel Down but mainly focused on Luffy's attempt at rescuing him. Further in the setting changed to Marineford and explained the battle from the various perspectives of the people involved in the war, including his own. What scared him the most was that every thought of his mentioned was something he really did remember thinking at the time. Every feeling was correct. Every event was just as he remembered.

As he reached the last filled pages Sabo grabbed it from his hands, assuming he got the point. He felt a bit worried when he saw how pale the man got. The look on his face was completely blank, like he didn't even know how he was supposed to feel. Maybe explaining that to him wasn't the best idea.

"So you're saying I'm not real?"

Noting the shock in the man's posture, Sabo led him over to the bed and had him sit down. He hesitantly placed his hand on each of Ace's shoulders. After having such an extensive conversation he was starting to doubt that the man was a hallucination, especially with how solid he felt. Or maybe he was schizophrenic. Either way, Ace appeared too real to just ignore. "You weren't. But you're here now so you must be."

_Or I've finally reached the end of my mental stability._

Ace looked at the blonde hopefully. He was just told that his entire life was false—someone's imaginings—and he wanted something to confide in that said he was more than that. He didn't want his existence to be a lie.

"I don't really get what's going on but what matters is that you exist _now_."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but nothing I know is real." At some point Ace resigned himself to what the blonde said, though internally he was fighting with himself, ridiculing his claims. He could at least play along, though.

"Forget about that—I'll figure something out. Just trust me okay? I created you, after all."

Ace snickered at that. "You did a horrible job."

"I can't believe one of my own characters just insulted me."

"Deal with it."

Sabo sighed. "Look: since you obviously don't have a place to go I'll let you stay here. Just…try not to damage anything; I know how you can be."

Ace rolled his eyes but was starting to calm down. "Fine. And…thanks."

The blonde smiled as he went to put his notebook away. "What kind of person would I be if I kicked my own creation out?"

There was a pause before Ace spoke up. "What's your name?"

The writer turned to face him once more. After that first wave of shock had passed he was starting to feel pretty excited about the turn of events. After all, that man was the character he'd grown fond of during his latest work. He felt bad for that last scene written in his notebook and felt helping the real, live version of him would wash away the guilt. "Sabo."

* * *

**A/N: Can you believe I managed to only use one scene in this? Isn't that awesome? I like never do an entire chapter in one scene! So not much happened since this is a 'test' chapter. Keep in mind that I said this won't be updated for a while. Please understand. You have all of my other fics to read in the meantime, as well as the rest of the site. At least I'm stopping hear and not in chapter 3 which I just wrote before I hurt my hand (there's a cliffy there).**

**Please review and give be any feedback, predictions, insights, ideas ect you may have. They'll motivate me to write faster (though I still have other stories so...)!**

**...I feel like I need to write more. Oh well. Still it always feels so wrong when I start a story and don't have anyone to reply to...**

**Adieu~**

**-Angelle**


	2. The Strange New World

**I said that I wouldn't post the next chapter until I had the first 7 written out, but... What the hell? Still, updates will be random and sporadic so don't complain, kay?**

**Also, remember that warning from chapter 1 about everything being important even if it seems like it's not important? Yeah. So any questions you have or strange things you notice have a purpose. Oh and for future reference: characters who appear in reality will have different personalities from their One Piece counterparts, sometimes drastically so. There is also a reason for that. If it bothers you then don't bother reading, though you won't notice it much until around chapter 4.**

**As a side-note I drew a picture of Adult!Sabo as a part of the physical therapy to recover my hand. I posted the video of me drawing it on my YoutTube (link's on my profile) if anyone's interested. It's based off of ****_Divide_****!Sabo. Really crappy because my hand's still hurt and it's rushed but at least I tried T^T**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. Wanna know what I own? The mind-fuck that this plot will later become. Yep. **

* * *

Sabo dabbed the disinfectant onto once of Ace's _very_ infected wounds, causing him to wince and shy away. He sighed. "I don't remember making you so delicate," he teased, eliciting a bit of a snarl from the pirate.

"Shut up. I'd like to see how you feel after getting tortured by Marines."

"Right… Sorry about that."

"Hm?"

"It's my fault you're hurt. I wrote it, after all." He disinfected another wound as his brow furrowed into a look of guilt.

"After knowing you're the cause of everything bad that's happened to me, I can't say I like you."

The blonde paused in what he was doing, saddened by those words yet fully understanding of them, before grabbing a roll of bandages and some medical tape from his kit. "I wouldn't have written that if I thought you could become real."

"Why _did_ you have me captured?" Ace lifted his arms to allow the blonde to wrap the bandages around his torso without interference. He eyed him wearily.

"Simple cause and effect, my friend." When Sabo saw that the pirate didn't understand he decided to elaborate. "It needed to happen so that I could get the result I wanted."

"Which was..?"

"Your execution."

Ace froze at that. He remembered Marineford all too well. The last thing he could recall before falling into Sabo's living room was being freed by Luffy. The feeling of freedom that washed over him as the seastone cuffs were removed was still vivid in his mind. And then suddenly he was there, in the 'real' world, being told that he shouldn't exist. "…What happened to me after I was freed?"

Sabo paled and stopped treating his wounds to look the freckled man in the eyes. "…You don't remember?"

He shook his head.

The blonde lowered his eyes to his lap. He was really starting to hate himself for all of the bullshit he put his characters through. But it wasn't his fault, right? How was he supposed to know one of them would spring to life out of nowhere? They were supposed to be nothing more than thoughts on a page—a sequence of events strung together by his mind. Pieces of his imagination. And now he was faced with one of them right before his eyes in a tangible form. "…You died."

"_What_?" Sabo flinched at that. Having created him, he knew exactly what his reaction would be. It was one thing to imagine it and another to experience it, though. "You _killed_ me? Luffy just set me free!"

"I know."

"Why? Why the _hell_ would I die?"

The blonde swallowed heavily as he prepared to explain. He just knew it wasn't going to end well—probably with a few sweltering wounds and broken bones. Hell, he might exact eye-for-an-eye justice and resort to murder. But he wasn't going to walk away from the conversation because, despite being praised as a literary genius, he was a moron. "I used you as a catalyst to motivate Luffy." He saw Ace pale at that. "I needed to give him a reason to get stronger—something to make him realize how weak he was."

"And so you _killed_ me?" Ace's voice was dark and threatening—dangerous. He clenched his fists so tight that he almost made them bleed. His whole body tensed as he took in that knowledge. He was finally happy—truly—for the first time in his life. He was thankful to be alive and he felt _loved_. And then he died and learned that everything he knew was a lie.

"I didn't want to." Sabo looked up at him with apologetic eyes before he turned away once more and tore the bandages, taping them to his build. "Even before all of this I felt bad about it."

"…Then why did you? I'm sure you could have thought of some other way to motivate my brother."

Sabo ignored him and stood, heading into the kitchen. "You hungry?"

"Oi, answer the question!"

"What am I saying? You're_ always_ hungry." He got out a big pot and put it in the sink before turning on the tap. While it filled with water he went and grabbed a myriad of spices, placing them on the counter beside the stove. "I don't really feel like cooking, though, so I'll just make something simple. Hope it's enough."

Ace stormed into the kitchen, grabbed onto Sabo's shoulder and spun him around. "Damn it! Would you stop ignoring me?"

Sabo sighed. "I never realized just how bad your temper was."

Ace lit his fist into flames, holding it up to the blonde closely as if to remind him of what he could do. Sabo just gave him a dull, unimpressed glare. He relaxed his shoulders and leaned back against the counter. The attitude was enough to make an already irate fire user fume.

"Try it—I _dare_ you."

"Cocky bastard," Ace shot, his shoulders beginning to spark with anger.

"I know you better than you know yourself; you won't do it."

"What makes you so sure?"

Sabo's mouth curved into a smirk. "I know because despite your attitude you're a decent guy."

Ace's eye twitched. "Hardly."

"Seems you don't know yourself very well." Before Ace had a chance to reply, the blonde had grabbed onto his forearm and pulled the flaming appendage nearer, studying it. The pirate stared at him strangely as he went to touch the fire.

"O-oi!"

He went to pull away but by then Sabo's hand was already submerged in blaze. Ace blinked, surprised at that, but the other smiled when he realized he wasn't getting charred.

"What? Never realized how much control you had over your ability? I suppose it makes sense—I never put you into a situation where you _wouldn't _want to burn someone you were up against." When the writer looked up he saw a spark of interest enter his creation's mind—a sure sign that he would forget about his earlier question.

"It… doesn't hurt?"

"Your flames are only hot when you want them to be. Didn't know?" Ace shook his head as Sabo continued poking and prodding the inferno. "I'm surprised you still have your power in reality, though."

"You don't have Devil Fruit here?"

"Nope, I created them for my sto—" He noticed the sink was about to overflow and rushed over to the tap. "Shit!" He shut off the water and pulled the pot onto the counter, wiping the sides. After he was satisfied with how dry it was he hauled it over to the stove and turned it on, placing a lid over the pot to allow it to boil.

Ace simply watched, wondering why the blonde was making such a big deal about a little spilt water.

Sabo stepped back, placing his index and thumb to his chin in a look of contemplation. He knew that wouldn't be enough to feed the bottomless pit that stood across the room; suddenly he was regretting giving the D. brothers such insatiable appetites. Why did he do it in the first place? Well, whatever. He would just have to think of something else to feed him.

"Go find something to do while I make dinner. I'll call you when it's done."

"Like what?" he asked, looking over at the strange cooking device. It resembled a stove and yet was still foreign in appearance.

"You're a smart boy—figure something out."

Sabo heard some curses and grumbling emanate from the man before he left, leaving the blonde to rummage through his food storage and see what he could find. Opening the fridge he grimaced; it was almost empty save for some raw fruits and vegetables. He shrugged, making a mental note to go shopping in the morning, and removed everything, placing it all on the counter. Looking at the mound he sighed, realizing that was the most he ever had to cook, and rolled up his sleeves in preparation.

* * *

After stumbling into the living room Ace stared at the many strange, alien devices sprawled about. Most things looked similar to what he used back home, yet… different. He wasn't sure he'd be able to use them, but felt like messing around—he was supposed to entertain himself, right?

There was a small, rectangular box on the coffee table. Lazily he picked it up and spun it around to study it. He absently pressed down on one side and something resembling a circular eye shot out the front. On the back a screen lit up and showed what the 'eye' was seeing. Fiddling with it more he started pressing buttons and a red light appeared. He moved it around and let it get a good view of the room. _It's like a surveillance snail or something…_

After getting bored with that he turned it off and explored the room further. There was a shelf completely filled with books. He pulled one out to get better look. The title read _One Piece_ and the author was simply written as 'Sabo' with no last name. _He wrote this?_ He skimmed through it and his eyes widened when he realized that it was all a part of his world. Luffy seemed to be the focus—it started out with him floating in a barrel and getting hauled onto a boat. He stopped reading there, though, in favour of looking over at the rest of the books. The ones in the first row were all sequels to the one in his hands, each with its own subheading. He put the first back and picked up another, flipping through it once again. At the back were character sketches for some of the people that would be introduced in the next book. He repeated the process a few times until he spotted one that had his design in it. There was a brief, vague biography beneath it, stating that he was Luffy's older brother and one of the commanders of the Whitebeard pirates but there was nothing about his background like with other characters at the back. One part caught his eye:

_I'll say this now because I'm certain that many of you will be questioning it: no, I did not mess up on the tattoo on his arm. I know, I know, you want to know about it, right? Well, you're just going to have to wait. And don't hold your breath because I won't explain in the next book. Let's just say I have plans for later and leave it at that, shall we? Feel free to speculate—I'm sure you will without my permission, anyways. _

Ace knitted his brows together in curious contemplation. Thinking back on it, he wasn't sure why there was a crossed-out 'S' in his tattoo. In fact, he didn't even remember getting it. Why was that? Even if he came from some stupid book he should still know something like that, right? He'd have to ask the stupid blonde later.

Shrugging it off, he put each part of the series back in its proper place and moved onto the second row. Rather than finding neat, printed books like above, he was met with worn spiral-bound notebooks. They looked so old that they could tear at any moment. He cautiously removed one from the shelf and opened it up, met with beautiful handwritten notes. On the first page it said "Vol. 1" and listed some names. One stood out above the rest—Monkey D. Luffy. Turning the page he saw that the notebook contained almost the exact same thing as the first published novel. _A rough draft?_

The second notebook contained a series of character designs lazily drawn against the lined paper. He saw a few that looked similar to Luffy and an entire set dedicated to the Straw Hat crewmembers he met in Alabasta.

While looking he stopped and studied something unlike the others. Instead of design attempts there was a drawing of tree young boys. One looked like Luffy and the other was possibly Ace, but the third was unfamiliar. He was wearing a black top hat with goggles on it and a white dress shirt with a blue tailcoat overtop. His hair was light and Ace noticed there was a bit of semblance between the boy and the man he was currently staying with—Sabo. Each was holding a large pipe and they were smiling and laughing together. _What is this about, exactly?_

Deciding he didn't want to dwell on it, he moved to the final row. There he found more published works by Sabo that weren't a part of the _One Piece_ series. They were all various in style and genre, dated randomly, all printed within the past seven years. He was curious…

A loud ringing came from the device next to the shelf and caused him to jump, dropping the book he was about to snoop through. He hastily returned it to its proper place and spun around to glare at the screaming contraption. It looked and sounded similar to a den den mushi. Was that the equivalent of one in his new world? Cautiously he picked it up and held it to his ear.

"Oi, Sabo?"

"No, it's—"

"Bout time! You let the phone ring for a while; I thought you were out."

"Ph-phone?"

"Anyways, I can't come tomorrow—something came up. Sorry!" He heard a sigh come through the phone. "But this weekend, I promise! Oh, and Mark said to have the manuscript in by Thursday or else he'll pay you a visit. Shishishi!"

Ace's eyes doubled in size. "Lu—"

"Bye!"

_Click._

He was left standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face, listening to the dial tone. "…Luffy?"

* * *

**A/N: See why I wasn't going to leave you off at chapter 2 before? Well now I am. Have fun.**

**We got 21 reviews for the first chapter *dances* Which is 6 more than ****_To Be a Boy _****got :D Yay~ Though I'm warning you, the story will get more and more confusing as time goes on e_e You probably saw some WTF parts in this chapter so you'll have an idea of what I mean. Please review! Speculate! Tell me what you think!**

**To my lovelies~**

**Portgas D. Paula: Hehehe you have no idea how true that statement is ;)**

**Bareerah123: Lol original concept, less creative writing :P I'm glad your so understanding :) It would have been another week or so before I updated but the story was recieving a lot of support so I thought you guys deserved it.**

**SioQu: Hehe you'll have to wait and see :P Though I think you got the answer to that question at the end of this chapter.**

**azab: What do you mean 'what's going on'? Is there a part you don't understand or are you just wondering how Ace got there? IT's pretty strightforward during the first chapter but might be confusing as it goes on. Glad you like!**

**Stelra Etnae: You shall see muahahaha :P I'm so tempted to give away spoilers though XD At least I didn't pull an Oda. Did you read the chapter 2 weeks ago? The one scene had me tearing up T^T Their relationship is... very complicated, to say the least.**

**RedKetchup: Thanks.**

**Haruka-desu: Thank you :) I appreciate your patience and so here is another chapter, a lot sooner than I originally planned!**

**Kitsune Foxfire: As stated above, there's a reason for everything :P Fair enough. If it doesn't interest you by this chapter then sadly you probably won't care for the rest :/ That's how it goes though XD**

**The Madness Of My Life: Awe that's sweet . Glad you like!**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: Lol it has its ups and downs. IF Oda got visited by his characters... I don't even wanna think of what might happen XD It'd be interesting to see what Luffy did after finding out that he'd the one who killed off Ace :P Hehe I know, life can be so busy sometimes.**

**Kagehana Tsukio: You have to wait and find out :P **

**Puppet Dragon: Your patience has been rewarded ;)**

**Starry Roses: You shall see later :P I will say nothing! **

**Son Goshen: You shared it and I shall not comment on it :P If you thought the last chapter had a lot of foreshadowing then this has IMMENSE forshadowing. The rage comes in short bursts :P It'll explain later why he's so calm with it.**

**heavenlymoonfangedwolf: Glad you think so! Yes, it is incredibly difficult to keep 6 stories going and go to university, but I'm alive for now. Also since ****_Skip_**** is only a side story and ****_Reverse _****is the least popular of the original four I just update them a little less. So I'm managing even with my hand hurt. Or trying to at least. If it ever became too much I would go on hiatus for a few weeks to sort things out.**

**Sealing Mistress: As I've told other people, you'll have to wait and find out on your own XD It's a little more complex than people think. Lol well you could always break your bank and buy up the manga :P**

**WeissDragon: Sabo can be very... blunt XD **

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Lol I'm far from being the best anything, trust me :P Hehe nice comment there XD Sabo's still a smartass and a jerk, just not in the same way ****_Divide_****!Sabo is. His backstory is... complicated and developed him in a very different way. Because of that you'll notice some mood swings and contradictions to his personality that will be explained later. **

**mrsfirefist: ...Please read the author notes. I stated that this will NOT be updated often because of more pressing projects. Glad you like it though.**

**I'm-a-barbie-gurl: Glad you like!**

**Cyborgnetics: My writing's actually pretty mediocre if you look around the site e_e Sabo wrote One Piece in this fic, though, so he's pretty awesome :P **

**(Seriously, I just can't get over how easy it is to reply to the new stories XD It doesn't take me like an hour to go through all the reviews! Anyways, I'm going to try to write ****_Skip_**** or something... As much as I don't want to... Stupid side stories... Anyways! I'll go do that since I can type for a short while with my hand now. Adieu~)**


	3. Forgotten

**I'm updating faster than I should again e_e Anyways, keep in mind that most everything in this story has a hidden meaning. If anything seems strange there's probably a reason for it. Just thought I'd warn you :P**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. But I do own a new camera! It's so pretty and shiny and not eaten by a dog~ Now I can make drawing videos that aren't horrible :D Or... Are less horrible... I'm getting off-topic.**

* * *

Sabo strolled into the living room, wiping his hands with a cloth. He looked curiously from Ace's expression to the phone he held and back, immediately understanding what happened. He paced over to the man and grabbed the device from his hand, placing it back on the receiver. The other still didn't move.

"I take it you answered. Who was it?"

"…Luffy…"

"Hm?"

Ace snapped back to his senses and stared deeply into blue eyes, more serious than he had been all night. "I thought you said that my world was just a place in a story you wrote."

"It is, more or less."

"Then why is Luffy here?"

Sabo blinked and then sighed, relaxing his stance. He scratched his head while he thought of how best to explain it. "It's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

"…Monkey D. Luffy wasn't just a character I came up with off the top of my head like you were. He's based on someone I know."

"…The guy on the phone-thing?"

"Correct." He saw Ace's shoulders sag in disappointment and couldn't help but feel some pity. After all, the man was taken away from everything he knew and the people he loved. If he stayed in the real world he would never see Luffy again. If he didn't, well, he would return to being words on paper—a dead, expendable character. "His name is Luffy, too, though…" What could he say to lighten the mood? He knew everything about Ace and yet he couldn't think of what to do. "…What did he say?"

"Don't know—something about not coming tomorrow and some guy named Mark."

Sabo's eyes widened. "Crap—manuscript's due Thursday." He visibly paled, knowing that he would have to start working through meals to get it done by the deadline. If he asked for another extension he was sure to get in trouble with his editor… again.

* * *

"…What is _this_?" Ace asked, looking at the large spread on the dining room table.

"Dinner," Sabo replied simply, not once pausing in his typing. He hated writing while he ate but sometimes it was necessary—especially with how fast his publisher expected him to work.

"…Dinner?" The pirate looked over the meal in front of him and scrutinized it thoroughly, searching for something specific. When he didn't find it he scowled. "…Where's the meat?"

"There is none."

"Why not?"

The blonde sighed and tore his eyes away from the laptop screen but his fingers never stopped moving. "I'm a vegetarian and it's not exactly like I planned for a black hole, such as yourself, to grace me with its presence."

"Vegetarian? The hell is that?"

He lifted one of his hands away from his keyboard to rub his temple. "It means I don't eat meat."

"What? Why the hell not?" The concept itself baffled Ace. He couldn't imagine not being able to eat meat. In a way he pitied Sabo—what kind of world was it that could keep you from eating _real_ food? _I'm starting to think like Luffy…_

"I have my reasons."

"Like?"

"Just shut up and eat."

Ace glowered at the man sitting across from him before he turned his attention back to the food. It looked good, despite lacking his favourite flavours, and so he complied and began to devour it all—the stew, the salad, the side-dishes… everything. As he did so he pondered the slim invention in his host's lap. It was weird and unfamiliar. For some reason or another, the blonde kept tapping it. Was that thing important? It sure looked like it was, seeing how its user was so focused on it.

Every once in a while Sabo would look at a notebook on the table when he broke his concentration long enough to grab something to eat. It was the one from his bedroom desk—the one that detailed Impel Down and Marineford. Did that strange thing have something to do with the story?

"What are you doing?" he found himself asking.

"Typing up the rest of this chapter," the blonde replied, slowly chewing his food. It was eerie how he wasn't even blinking.

_…Typing? Whatever, I'm not going to bother asking…_

"Didn't you already write it out?"

"I need a digital copy."

_Digital..?_

"Then why write it in that notebook?"

"I feel more immersed in the plot if I do the rough draft by hand."

"…I see." He didn't really understand but it didn't look like Sabo was in the mood to answer his questions so he kept quiet and obediently finished his meal, still longing for some meat.

* * *

They'd been in the bedroom for quite some time—Sabo typing at his desk and Ace wandering in and out looking for something to keep himself occupied with. Eventually the pirate had settled on a chair and was fighting to keep alert; he hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours because he was dealing with his execution at Marineford up until his arrival in 'reality' and he was more than just a little exhausted. Coupled with his healing wounds draining his energy he was barely able to keep his eyes open.

Sabo noticed.

"Go to sleep—you can have my bed for the night." _Not like I'm going to get any rest knowing Mark's dangling that damn deadline in my face._

"…You sure?" he asked, voice uneven in a clear show of tiredness.

"Yeah. I don't have a spare bed so that'll have to suffice."

"…Thanks."

Ace stumbled over to the mattress and fell on top of it, instantly asleep. The writer rolled his eyes at that; he envied him because he had experienced bouts of insomnia throughout the better half of his life. Maybe that was why he gave him narcolepsy—a contrast to his reality.

Soon after, Sabo stretched and leaned back into his chair. The chapter was typed and now all he had to do was write out the last two. He already mapped out what was to happen in them and would likely be done by that time the next day, leaving him two days to retype them and submit the manuscript before his editor felt the need to visit personally.

This is where he would introduce Luffy's past—how he met Ace and their time together, more specifically. He would also be adding another character. The kid was a representation of him, going so far as to carry the same name. He would be their bonded brother and, in a fashion similar to Ace, he would become a catalyst through his death. Writing out that scene wouldn't be as hard as it would be for any other character, seeing as he was only doing himself in.

He looked over to the pirate sleeping on his bed and smiled; he was both surprised and a little glad that Ace didn't seem to connect him to the boy from his past. He would be confused enough trying to grasp that the real Luffy—who Sabo was sure he'd meet—wasn't his sibling. It would only be harder to explain if he realized the "Sabo" from his backstory was an awful lot like the "Sabo" who created him.

* * *

When Ace awoke he forgot where he was. The room was foreign and gave off warmth that his cell in Impel Down did not. He was glad to see that he was no longer shackled to the wall but couldn't help but wonder 'why'.

His confusion only grew when he faced his left and saw a tall, blonde man sleeping at a desk. Slowly he shifted off the mattress and stalked over to the stranger, wary of him after being trapped for so long in that damned Marine prison. Once he saw his face, though, the memories from the previous day flooded through his mind. That's right—he was a character in that man's book that came to life in his living room. Repeating that in his head, he felt that maybe he dreamt up the whole situation. The one thing that confirmed the story was the notebook lying under the blonde's arms.

Ace lifted the paper pad into his hand, shoving Sabo's arms off of it, and took a peek. He expected to find out what happened to his brother after the war but the page he was on was detailing their past. It mentioned that a boy in raggedy noble garb was with them.

_What? I don't…_

Before he could finish the thought his head throbbed. He dropped the book and grabbed his forehead in a feeble attempt to rid himself of the pain. Through his wincing and imploding brain he saw that Sabo had woken to his whimpering and was saying something, but he couldn't hear him. The white, jabbing blows to his brain just kept increasing—quickening—building up. Before he knew it he was doubled over on the ground, fading in and out of consciousness.

Sabo stared wide-eyed at the pirate at his feet, not knowing what was going on. He crouched down and placed a gentle hand on his back. When he asked what was wrong he got no response. That only increased his worry. It wasn't long before he managed to hoist him back onto the bed and check his temperature. He was running a fever, but why? He seemed perfectly fine before.

"I'm going to—" He stopped himself when he realized that Ace was already knocked out.

* * *

It wasn't until well into the afternoon that Ace awoke. Sabo treated his condition the best he could and settled to wait it out. He prepared a meal for him earlier and was currently typing away, trying to distract himself, attempting to ease his worries. He hated how attached he was to the pirate despite him coming to life only a day earlier. Of course, he already knew everything about him, so it didn't matter either way.

When Ace's eyes opened, Sabo flew from his chair and was instantly at his bedside. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he realized that the pirate no longer seemed to be in pain.

"How you feeling?" he asked, keeping his voice low just in case the man had a headache.

Ace stared blearily at the blue-eyed man as his eyes adjusted. When he saw blonde hair he squinted in a futile effort to make them focus faster. "…Sabo?"

The blonde was curious about his reaction, not just because he didn't answer the question but because he was having trouble registering his face. Was he still out of it because of earlier? "Yeah, it's me. You okay?"

"…I think," Ace replied, sweeping a hand through his hair. "What happened?"

"You passed out from a fever—been out all day."

"Oh…"

"I made you some food so just wait here and—"

"Sabo," he began in an attempt to catch the other's attention before he left.

The blonde looked back at him curiously. He was about to head into the kitchen to heat up his meal but stopped when he heard his name being called. "…Yeah?"

"I remember."

Sabo blinked a few times and tilted his head, wondering just what the fire user was talking about. He didn't realize he forgot something—other than his own death, of course. "…What?"

"I remember," Ace repeated as he gripped tightly to the sheets hugging his form. Teeth clenched and brow furrowed, he let out a frustrated breath. He was angry at himself. "…How could I forget about you?"

After a brief instance of comprehension, Sabo was starting to see what happened. He bit his lip; it wasn't that Ace hadn't connected him to his brother of the same name, but that he didn't know about him because he hadn't been written into the story. It seemed that even in reality his mind was still connected to the fictional world. Whatever Sabo wrote about in _One Piece_ that related to Ace, he assumed, would be transferred into the man's memories. Was that the cause of the fever—his mind adjusting to the new information?

He would have to go through a detailed explanation about how he was not the same person as the 'Sabo' in the book, but that would wait; Ace looked exhausted still and would likely not take in much information. When that conversation did occur, though, he knew it would be a difficult one. Ace was stubborn and somewhat sentimental and wouldn't believe him at first. He'd have to beat it into his head.

"…Just rest. I'll get you something to eat."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Eh?"

"…You knew I didn't remember you, right? So why didn't you say something?"

"Ace…" Sabo scratched his head. What should he say? He could tell the man wasn't fully recovered from earlier and any complex thought would fly over his head. "It's not what you think." He found himself repeating that same line from the previous night.

"What do you mean?"

"Just don't worry about it, alright? I'll explain when you're feeling better."

"Fine. I'll hold you to that."

"I know you will."

With that, the blonde exited in the room. Ace was left staring at the ceiling, alone with his thoughts. He hadn't even realized he forgot about his brother. It just never crossed his mind that his childhood was blank. Now that he recovered some of the memories, though, he was certain there were more missing. After thinking long enough he found that he couldn't remember anything from between ages ten and seventeen. The memories only resumed after he set out to become a pirate and even before that timeframe some things were hazy. What happened to mess him up so badly?

He was glad, though; he hadn't seen Sabo in three years… from what he could recall. But then he was left wondering about the current situation—his sworn brother claimed to be the creator of _One Piece_ which was supposed to be their entire world. He claimed to have designed Ace. But wasn't he a part of that world, too? Wasn't he a part of the story?

Groaning in annoyance, Ace rolled onto his side. His mind was too cloudy to be thinking about irritating things like that. He would just have to make sure the blonde told him what the hell was going on once he was feeling better.

* * *

**A/N: I kinda feel sorry for Sabo more than I do for Ace. Why? Well... Meh, you guys are smart. I'm sure you can figure it out. Writing this story is actually a lot harder than I thought. Takes me a long time to write a chapter even though I have a min of only 2,000 words. Ummm... I think that's it. Please review! Reviews really do encourage me :D That's the reason this is up even though I'm only on chapter 5, not 7. I would be farther but I got stuck on chapter 4...**

**To my lovelies~**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Well now you know :P That Luffy is VERY different from the Luffy you know. Just keep that in mind :) Lol I have many stalkers on my other stories so I don't mind~**

**Lunacii: I'll update when I can, good person.**

**Stelra Etnae: Lol seriously? This story isn't nearly as well-written as****_ Divide_**** :P You'll find fault to that statement later on. Lol while this plot is one of my most complex, it's not likely to 'blow your mind'. Since this is a fairly short fic it's not going to go very in-depth nor is it going to have as complex characters as what ****_Divide_**** or even ****_Resolve_**** have, so it'll only end up a 'meh' story. I think this will be the last time I post earlier than planned.**

**Sully-van: If it's confusing now then just wait for when the real plot gets started :P Glad you enjoyed :)**

**Kagehana Tsukio: There will be far worse cliffies than that, my friend :P Heh it wasn't really much of a plot twist, just something to take up space. Although it diverted people's attention from the most important hint of the chapter...**

**SimpleLaces: Glad you like ^^**

**WeissDragon: You're welcome~**

**spoons-are-evil: Hehe yep, Sabo will forever remain an ass, though this one is a lot nicer than the one in ****_Divide_****. Although if he's ever re-introduced in the manga I'll have to change the way I write him... Oh well. One is his most prominent traits is that he can keep pretty calm in the strangest of situations. Plus if he kept freaking out they'd get nowhere so... Actually Sabo's a decent cook in this story :P Lives alone so he has to be. Just not with meat... Lol avoid carrine tablets until you calm down!**

**Portgas D. Paula: Yep. And the awkwardness increases with every chapter.**

**Vampirelover12100: Lol well here it is~**

**Son Goshen: Not quite. I mean he did, but only a few. And their real world counterparts are VERY different. And the people implimented into the story are all connected, though I can't say how... It's... It's complicated. Hehe trust me, nothing in this story is going to make much sense until the big reveal that will explain the actions of every main character in the story. Meh it's not that interesting so I doubt you'd die of curiousity without an update :P**

**Starry Roses: Nope not that simple :P There's a lot more to it than that. **

**Mon Esprite Libre: Hehe glad you like!**

**azab: Lol there aren't many for him to meet :P Glad you like!**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: Hehe yeah, Sabo's good at avoiding questions. You'll notice that a lot in this story :P He doesn't like talking about himself. **

**Haruka-desu: Your patience shall be rewarded :)**

**Cyborgnetics: I've been writing since I was 10 so I think I have you beat :P If I've been writing that long and am only this good then I'm pretty mediocre. (Though I did stop writing gr 10-11 but still.) I still haven't gotten around to reading that story! I've been meaning to for a very long time but I just haven't gotten around to it! Maybe I can read it while eating dinner... at 2am. You shall have to wait and see :P**

**Vergina-spva: Thanks for the patience! Here's an update for you!**

**(Well I have finished replying. My teeth still hurt... Curse you, wisdom teeth! And I don't have dental coverage T^T No, wait, I do through the university. Never mind. Why am I talking about this?! It's all I can think about! Ah, the pain... So this story has been giving me issues e_e I don't know why. So has ****_Reverse_**** which is why it still isn't updated. I'll try working on it this weekend... But I have that stupid video assignment due! Argh... FML... I hate Time-Base! Even though we do barely anything in class! I hate it because we HAVE to use Macs so because I have a Windows computer I can't work at home and have to go to the lab to edit but I can only go when it's open and there's no other class in there! So aggrivating! I'm sorry I don't have $2,000 to spend on a freaking Mac! Anyways, rant over. I'ma eat :P Adieu~)**


	4. Developments and a Taste for Meat

**Ugh I'm so freaking tired. And it's only 7pm! What the hell?! I'm way too used to taking naps... So my hand's fully healed (other than rehab to regain control) but I just haven't had much luck with working on anything other than ****_To Be a Boy_**** and the ****_Resolve_**** bonus chapters. Yes, now there are two. And reading... Been reading lots of fanfics. I know I should write a little and then read, but... Well... Life doesn't always work like that. And I'm still tired from staring at a damn mac working on the stupid goddam video- Ahem. Sorry. I was getting a bit out of line. So hope you like it. I'm going to grab some caffiene... Sabo has the right idea!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. Or caffiene pills. I should go buy some... Only 16 more days of school until my 4 month vacation.**

* * *

"So?"

"Hm?"

"You said you'd explain—do it."

"I'm kind of busy," Sabo stated as he typed away, fingers dancing along the keyboard. "Wait until tomorrow."

"Oh no, you're going to tell me—you know something about why I forgot, don't you?"

"Perhaps," he replied, glancing over at the freckled man sitting across from him. He really would rather put off the talk until he finished the manuscript. After all, he didn't want a penalty for breaking the deadline. He had enough of those. "Just let me work on this."

Ace pulled his lips into a taut line, scrunching up his face in annoyance. "I'm not _asking_."

"What are you going to do—set your brother on fire? Kind of cruel, don't you think?"

"Of course I wouldn't…"

The blonde heaved a sigh and closed his laptop, giving the pirate his full attention. As much as he wanted to continue working on his writing he knew Ace needed an explanation and, being as impatient as he was, it couldn't wait. "Look, Ace, the Sabo you know isn't me."

"…What?"

"He's just a character based off me."

"But you're—"

"Yes, we're alike. But if you think deeper I'm sure you'll find that there are differences between us." Judging from his expression, Ace was at least entertaining the idea.

"…Why would you do that?" he asked in a jaded tone which replaced his former excitement. It was disheartening to learn that his reunion with his brother was all in his head.

"Do what?"

"Base a character off yourself," he elaborated, swiping a hand across his forehead. "It doesn't make sense."

"…There's a reason for that." Sabo didn't want to say, though. Rather, he _wouldn't_. And Ace could tell—could see it in his eyes. _I must be pretty predictable now that he has those memories, huh?_ "All you need to know is that I'm not him, alright?"

"You keep avoiding my questions."

"You came from my mind, you figure it out."

"Smartass."

"Immature muscle-head."

_Silence._

Sabo sighed and rubbed his temple. He was fighting with one of his characters. There were just so many things wrong with their situation… He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the company, though. It was always just him in his spacious, vacant apartment. As a show gratitude to his guest for chasing away the boredom of everyday life, he supposed it was only fair to explain what was going on.

"You didn't remember your brother because he didn't exist in your reality." The freckled man blinked a few times, clearly not grasping the concept. "Last night I wrote him into the story. I was writing your past. Because he was added to your backstory you gained memories of him. Understand?"

Ace looked down into his lap and contemplated the blonde's words. His brow furrowed in concentration. "So the fever and headache…"

"Likely a side-effect, yes." When Sabo saw that Ace had nothing to say he decided to voice one of his concerns. "I have one more chapter to write to conclude the flashback. However, if I write it…"

He didn't need to finish; Ace knew what he was saying. Once that chapter was complete he was likely to feel that same pain and pass out just as he did in the early hours of the morn. The day's events would repeat and he would be left in bed as his memories sorted themselves out. But he was no stranger to pain. He survived some of the worst torture imaginable and something like that was nothing. And…

"Do it," he commanded, eyes never moving from their fixed view of his lap. His voice was steadfast and eyes unwavering. Weighing the pros and cons was easy. Sure he'd be in pain. But what would he gain?

Sabo sighed. "Shut up, you stupid meathead. I'm not going to intentionally harm someone for the sake of my work. Contrary to popular belief I'm not so cruel." The blonde opened his laptop and, again, tapped away. He would change the ending of that installment if he had to. After seeing one of the strongest people he ever dreamt up looking as helpless as he did that dawn he wasn't going to do that again.

"Just do it, alright? I'll be fine. Besides…" He took a deep, inward breath and turned to face the author. "I'll remember more if you do, right?"

"…Yeah."

"I want to know about my past—even if it's horrible. I feel… incomplete."

Sabo stopped typing and stared curiously at the other. How did it feel to know that your life, your personality—everything—was determined by some stranger? He couldn't imagine. And would he still say that when memories of his brother's death flashed before his eyes?

"…Alright."

* * *

_Finally!_

Sabo leaned back and stretched his arms and fingers, glad to have the chapter typed out. His hands felt stiff and sore from their non-stop tapping and he was glad to be granted a break. What was there to do while his hands were resting, though? He looked around the room, wondering where the freeloader went. Ace was given free reign over the house and was allowed to do whatever he wished, provided that nothing broke. And, being in such a foreign world, there was plenty he was curious about.

The blonde stood from his desk chair and shuffled out into the hall and down towards the living room to search for the pirate. He stopped and stared when he spotted the young man sitting on the couch, book in hand. It was the second installment of Sabo's _One Piece_ series. His eyes softened as he watched the man read. What was he thinking about while learning of his brother's adventures? The pirate's face held a melancholic look.

Ace noticed the writer and looked away from the book briefly, taking note of him.

"You hate reading," Sabo stated as he walked further into the room.

"Not really," Ace corrected, turning back to the page he was on. "I just never bothered with it."

Sabo rolled those words over in his head, pondering them. While he mentally noted Portgas D. Ace held no interest in fiction or factual written material, he never wrote it into the story. Because of that the real-life version of him wouldn't have that dislike, either. The whole concept was fascinating for the blonde. Any aspect of Ace's character that wasn't explicitly mentioned in the novel would remain unknown to the pirate in question. Maybe he didn't know the fire user as well as he thought.

"Luffy went through a lot, huh?"

Ace's comment broke the blonde's train of thought and he looked over at the freckled man, noting the barely visible smile on his face. "I suppose so."

"…I didn't know about all this. I mean, I heard some stories, but… Feels like I've missed a big part of his life," he said, trailing his fingertips across the page.

"That's expected—you both had your own lives to live."

"Yeah, I know. It's just pisses me off a bit." Ace stared intently at the words written on the page, recalling how those words were what made up the existences of everyone he knew and loved. They were just words on a page, yet he could still clearly see all of their faces—Luffy's smile, Marco's scowl, Thatch's laugh…. "I thought one day we could travel together, after our journeys ended."

Sabo felt a pang of guilt in his chest. When he wrote Ace's death he made sure to leave him with no regrets—completely resigned to his fate.

_"Thank you for loving me."_

There he was, unaware of that. For one reason or another he entered reality with no memory of his death. He could not recall Akainu's words or Luffy's cries. He didn't remember that final thought he had before he died—that he gained true happiness, seeing how many people cared for him, and was satisfied with letting it all end there. All he knew was that his journey came to abrupt halt. And it was all Sabo's fault.

"Hey," Ace began, catching the other's attention.

"Hm?"

"What's with the tattoo on my arm?" He moved to point at the crossed-out 'S' in between the letters. After reaching the end of the volume he was on he caught a glimpse of the character sketches at the back and was reminded of his question from the previous day. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. According to the note at the bottom it wasn't some sort of mistake, so what was it, then? What was the purpose of the 'S'?

Sabo blinked a few times before he realized what Ace was referring to. Because Ace didn't know his brother died, he also was unaware of the tattoo's meaning. But did he want to tell him? No—of course not. 'Your brother died and that was your tribute to him.' Yeah, that wouldn't get him punched in the face, not at all. Besides, if he wanted Sabo to write the next chapter regardless of the pain he would know within twenty-four hours. And mentioning it ahead of time would bring up questions about his…

Shit. There was no doubt Ace would pester him if he saw. He managed to keep it hidden but he would see it eventually. What to do…

"It's nothing—just a mistake," he declared, trying to push the subject aside.

Ace's eyes narrowed, catching the lie. "No it's not. You even said it wasn't in your book."

"You saw that?"

"I did."

"…Well, you see… " After being glared at for a few minutes Sabo sighed. "You'll find out tonight, alright?"

"…Fine." Ace wasn't in the mood for arguing… for once. Instead he picked himself off the couch and returned the book to the bookcase, reaching for the next in line. He wanted to know more about what his brother went through on his journeys, what he experienced—especially if he would never see him again.

Relieved that he escaped the question, Sabo headed over to the doorway. He was still too sore to begin writing and was reminded of something else he had to do. Snatching a long coat off the hook, he threw the fabric around his shoulders and pulled his arms through, being sure to grab his keys before he left. "I have something to do. You going to be alright on your own?"

Ace scoffed at that. "You make it sound like I'm some kid."

"You act like one sometimes."

"Shut up, stupid blonde."

* * *

"Sabo!" shouted a young man as he launched himself at the former, wrapping him in an iron grip.

The blonde blinked and looked down at the youth to see a large set of eyes and stared in confusion. "Lu? What are you doing here?"

"Shopping," he replied matter-of-factly.

Sabo rolled his eyes. That was obvious, seeing as they were currently downtown in the city's main shopping district. He didn't ask further questions, though, and instead took note of the whispers around them. Giving no time for an explanation he grabbed onto the boy's wrist and dragged him away from the crowd—he didn't feel like being recognized and drawing attention to himself.

Luffy stayed quiet as he was pulled along by the blonde, knowing full-well what he was doing. Eventually they stopped in front of a small café. When they looked inside they saw that it was almost empty and decided to enter to have a proper conversation.

Sabo smiled at the younger and exhaled in relief—he didn't feel like dealing with fans. Having so many people interested in his work was a great honour and he enjoyed it immensely but it became problematic when they stopped him on the street.

A waitress placed two cups of coffee at their table, smiling politely at the pair before taking her leave. The blonde watched with amusement as Luffy took a sip from his—how shocked would Ace be if he met the real-world counterpart of his brother? In some aspects they were vastly different; the real Luffy was far more mature and insightful, for example. Sure he could act childish, but only in front of a select few people.

"How's school?" he asked, attempting to start a conversation. They didn't get to see each other often when a deadline approached—Luffy refused to visit if it meant interfering with his work.

The younger groaned and his face sagged into a frown. "I hate university. The teachers are pricks."

Sabo chucked. "That so?"

"And there's so much work… And reading! So much damn reading! I don't know how you dealt with it all those years."

"Patience and caffeine caplets," he answered with a teasing grin.

"I don't have patience," the younger declared with a pout. "And Lawrence! He's the worst professor yet."

Sabo's smirk grew wide and mischievous. "You have _him_ teaching you?"

Luffy gave him a depressed nod. Sabo almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"Good luck," he said simply, eliciting yet another groan from the younger. Lawrence was, to say the least, ruthless when it came to his lessons. They were roommates back when he was still in school and graduated a year after the blonde. Known as a prodigy he was extremely gifted, but… teaching was not his strong point. He didn't give the students a break. Luffy was in for a long semester.

Luffy's eyes trailed around their table until they rested with interest on several bags the blonde brought with him. Peeking out the top he could see a few different kinds of fabric, likely clothes. In the other bags he saw a mash of different food items. "What's that for?" He pointed towards the clothing after remembering the blonde's closet couldn't hold anything more. Why buy when you had no room?

"Oh, that?" Sabo peered down at his shopping bags. "They're for an acquaintance of mine."

The youth accepted that answer but wondered why he was buying for someone else. Though Sabo wasn't cruel, he also didn't just throw his money away; as an author he was very frugal with his cash, knowing that if one of his books didn't do well he could end up with barely any income. That never happened—everything the blonde wrote thus far was a resounding success—but it could.

Inside one of the bags Luffy spotted something he never thought he'd see in the author's possession. "…Meat?" he questioned suspiciously, more aware than anyone of Sabo's vegetarianism and the reasons behind it.

"Ah, y-yeah," Sabo stuttered, caught off guard by the accusing tone in the other's voice. "I have someone staying with me and thought I'd pick some up."

"…You can't stand meat."

"It's not like I'm going to eat it."

"…"

The blonde broke eye-contact with the other and took a sip of his coffee. He then stared at his reflection in the brown liquid. Only minutes later he'd emptied the cup and rose to his feet. "I better go. Gotta get home before the meat defrosts," he stated.

"Awe, but it's been so long! I'll walk with you."

"Isn't it a school night? What time's your class tomorrow?"

Luffy pouted. "Eight…"

"And you didn't finish your readings, did you?"

"…Nope."

"Who's the professor?"

"…Lawrence."

"Then go home," he commanded with a bit of a laugh after seeing the disappointment on the younger's face. "You can visit this weekend, alright?"

Luffy's face lit up with a smile and he nodded vigorously. "Okay! Shishishi!"

* * *

With a yawn Ace closed the book and returned it to the shelf. As much as he liked reading about his brother's adventures he could only handle so much. He was happy to see that Luffy enjoyed himself, though. He also got to see more of his nakama and was glad to know that they were all very dependable and devoted.

Still, it was strange seeing his brother through a book and not reality. It was hard to believe. At first he didn't—when Sabo told him that he was a character from a novel he mentally scoffed at the idea, even after seeing the notebook and character sketch, but went along with it for the sake of convenience. He knew he was someplace he wasn't supposed to be and pretended to accept what the blonde said just to make dealing with him easier.

Somewhere along the line that changed. He saw more of the sketches and realized how well the blonde seemed to know him and it became less of an outlandish idea and more of a possibility. After what he was told earlier, though, he couldn't deny it. When he remembered his brother only to find out that he didn't 'forget' but that the boy from his childhood didn't previously exist—that he knew him because he was written into the book—Sabo's theory became very real.

Then he thought of something—the miniature biographies at the back of each book. If his brother was being written into the story currently then the back of the last installment would have something written about him, right? Maybe he could get some answers.

He took the last book off the shelf and flipped to the back, going past character sketches of Ivankov, Akainu and some pirates to the last one of a small boy with a top hat. He smiled at it fondly, noting that the image perfectly resembled the child from his memories. His eyes scrolled to the space below the drawing and his brow furrowed in confusion when he saw what was written.

_Sabo_

_Birthday: March 20__th_

_Occupations: Thief; Noble_

_Catalyst._

* * *

**A/N: So yeah. Hm. Since I don't know what to write here I'll do story recommendations! Try ****_Burning Rubber_**** by Kitsune Foxfire! Seriously, I FINALLY had a chance to read it this week and it's awesome. I'm almost caught up! :D It's an NCIS/One Piece crossover and while I can't stand shows like NCIS it works really well. Ummm... More recommendations... To be honest I haven't had much of a chance to read anything either because of stupid school and work. Seriously, being an art major is harder than being a psychology major as far as workload goes. I should know, I'm both! Seriously assignments in psych take 1 day while assignment in art take 1-3 WEEKS! Oh wait, we were on recommendations! I don't have any that would suit the readers of this story though :/ It's very rare to find a Sabo-oriented fic that's more than a oneshot. He needs more love! Come on, people! It'll be so sad when ****_Divide_**** ends because he's like amazingly fun to write in that story T^T This Sabo's fun, too, but not nearly as much. It's probably because this Sabo isn't as developed and because the story isn't as in-depth as the other one he probably never will be. Makes me sad.**

**To my lovelies~**

**Portgas D. Paula: Ugh I had I think it was 41 or 42C once last year and damn it was horrible. It was combined with a stomach infection. Thought I was going to die. Slept for 16 hours at a time, waking up for 25min-3 hours in between for like 4 days straight.**

**Mon Esprite Libre: Glad you like :)**

**Vampirelover12100: I'm happy you like it!**

**WeissDragon: Hehe I'm SO looking forward to writing that part. I think I'm a bit sadistic...**

**Sully-van: Lol it wasn't particularly confusing. Wait until ****_Divide_**** gets into its plot twists, THAT'S confusing. You should tell me if you have any speculations, I'd love to hear them!**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Lol too late he's been built tripping sine the first chapter. Well in this chapter it seems like Ace is taking it pretty well, right? Just wait. Just wait hehe... I'm more looking forward to writing chapter 6 myself :P**

**Stelra Etnae: Hehe yep very confusing. And it's just going to get worse!**

**Vergina-spva: Honestly, I feel sorry for both of them :P Pretty odd situation they're in.**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: Yeah, can you imagine your entire life just being a story? Or holding a book and knowing that's all there is to your family's existance? As you can probably guess, Ace isn't going to keep as calm as he is. But that's a story for another time. Hehe yep! That's true! Though for some reason writers like to cause them horrible pain and suffering ._. Well you'll learn more about Sabo even though he doesn't like talking about himself, so don't worry :P**

**azab: Lol just so you know I'm not shipping them in this story, Though you can pretend that I am if you want :P Awe thanks!**

**SioQu: Yep, but in the end you'll be feeling sorry for both of them. I'm glad you do :) It should be around as long as ****_To Be a Boy_**** aka somewhere around 20 chapters, so it'll be around for a while!**

** : Yep, and it's only going to get worse when Ace 'remembers' his brother's death.**

**Son Goshen: I'm curious what you thought of e_e You think this screws with your mind? Ha! Wait until the other characters come in not acting like themselves! Hehehe... **

**spoons-are-evil: Lol I think it was pretty obvious XD Maybe, maybe not. I shall say nothing! Honestly, I can't stand writing on paper :P Can't do it. No ideas come to my head and my sentences are basic at best. But I think Sabo would be the type to like to feel the paper and all that, so... Well here Luffy doesn't seem too different from the One Piece one, but... He is. I won't say how but he is. Sabo touched on it, but only on a very, very tiny part. In fact none of the characters are the same as their real-life counterparts. At least to some degree. **

**I'm-a-barbie-gurl: Hehe glad you do! Here's an update~**

**Starry Roses: He avoids everything he can :P And he won't stop anytime soon! Here's an update~**

**(So the first 3 chapters got 56 reviews. That's pretty good, I'll say. Doing better than ****_To Be a Boy_**** which makes me both happy and sad. So... Um... I'm working on ****_Reverse_****! I'll do my best to get the next chapter up tomorrow. No guarantees, but I'll try. ****_Reverse_**** and ****_Skip_**** aren't very fun to write until they reach certain points, so that's probably what's slowing me down. Sad but true. Once I get past those points it should be easier. And being out of school will make it easier as well. I think that's it. Please review, kay? I wanna hear what you guys think is going to happen! :D Adieu~)**


	5. Verse the Pineapple

**So here it is! Almost done chapter 6, too :D But I'll try to wait until I get chapter 8 done to post again. With any luck I can get two done tonight (no classes because my prof is gone for the day so long weekend!). I've been keeping 2 chapters ahead in ****_To Be a Boy _****and it's working out quite well so I think I'll do that with this story too. And remember: if something seems strange or out of place in ANY WAY then it is likely a hint to something or there's a reason for it.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

Ace read the word again, half expecting it to change. That was what Sabo called him when explaining the reason for his death, wasn't it? He wasn't planning to…

A breath caught in the freckled man's throat. When he was little he planned on making his brother his navigator, yet when he formed the Spade pirates he wasn't there. He assumed they formed separate crews, but… that wasn't right, was it?

While every other character sketch had information on their background below, Sabo's only had those three lines. He was starting to figure out why. With shaking hands he put the book back and grabbed one of the notebooks below it, flipping to a sketch of three boys smiling together with metal pipes. The day before he had no idea what that was about but it became all too clear with his new memories. It was a picture of him and his two brothers—the childhood they spent together.

Ace stared curiously at the bottom-right corner of the drawing. His faced scrunched up in confusion when he noticed that it was dated four years before the release of the second book—the one that held his biography—and three years before the first. But Ace wasn't implemented into the story until the third book. In all likelihood he wasn't designed before then…

A knock at the door startled him and he almost dropped the aged notebook. Sabo was back? Why wasn't he entering? Ace didn't linger on the thought too long and his surprise was replaced with irritation. He'd beat some answers out of the bastard if he had to.

Storming over to the door he flung it open and prepared to shout profanities and ask why the _hell_ he referred to his brother as a 'catalyst' but the words caught in his throat. It wasn't the blonde at the door. Well it was _a_ blonde, but not the one he was expecting, especially since he wasn't supposed to exist in reality.

"Marc…" He couldn't finish the name. First Luffy and now him? At first he wanted to believe that his crewmate came from the book as well, or that the story Sabo said was a lie, but upon closer inspection he realized that likely wasn't the case. He wore glasses and business attire—very unlike the garb Ace was used to seeing him in.

The blonde's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the stranger in front of him, looking him up and down for any sort of indicator to his identity. It was strange for Sabo to have anyone over when a deadline neared, much-less some bandaged, topless kid.

"Who are you?" he asked in an accusing tone of voice, glaring the boy down.

"I-I…" Ace wasn't sure what to say. Marco didn't recognize him, so…

"…_Monkey D. Luffy wasn't just a character I came up with off the top of my head like you were. He's based on someone I know."_

He thought back to Sabo's words and realized that the man before him was simply that world's counterpart of his friend. They didn't know each other. How should he explain? "S-Sabo's letting me stay here," he managed to stutter in his confusion.

The blonde nodded absently before forcing his way inside. While that wasn't exactly what he was asking he deemed the reply would suffice. He barged in and took off his shoes before going to sit on the couch. "Where is he?"

"Out," Ace replied simply, still pondering over the other Marco's connection to the writer.

He sighed. "I'm Mark, his editor."

…Mark? _Mark_? What a dull, drab name. Ace didn't like it. Didn't think he could get used to hearing it, either. Then he thought back to what Luffy said over the phone-thing.

"_Mark said to have the manuscript in by Thursday or else he'll pay you a visit. Shishishi!"_

So that's what he meant. But it wasn't Thursday. Why was he there, then? Not that Ace was complaining—it was nice to see a familiar face.

"Ace," he said simply. It felt weird introducing himself to his crewmate. After all, they'd known each other for the better part of three years.

The editor seemed to scrutinize him further after hearing that, but eventually moved on.

Marco—because Ace absolutely _refused_ to call him by any other name—looked around at the loose papers and notebooks scattered about the coffee table and floor, heaving a sigh. He placed his briefcase against the couch and bent down, gathering everything into neat piles. "He's hopeless…" he mumbled as he moved to the papers on the floor and under the table. Apparently the messy sight was commonplace in Sabo's apartment. Ace saw him earlier going through all of the stuff he kept on the second shelf of his bookcase and those notes were likely remnants of that search.

After ceasing his cleaning, the blonde looked seriously at Ace. "I don't care if you're staying with him but don't interfere with his work—it's the only thing keeping him sane right now."

What did he mean by that? Ace wasn't sure but nodded anyways.

Before the situation became too awkward they heard the mechanical sounds of the front knob being turned. Both watched as a tired-looking man entered, carrying with him a myriad of bags. Looking him over they noticed that he was soaked and breathing heavy.

"Damn rain," he groaned as he removed his shoes and jacket. When he looked up he noticed the older man sitting on his couch and the confused pirate standing in the middle of the room. He scowled. "What do you want?" he asked in annoyance, crossing his arms as he glared the other man down.

"I came to check on your progress," Marco replied simply, unaffected by the obvious displeasure emitting from his associate.

"It's fine. Now that you know you can leave."

"I'm not leaving until I see it."

"You're trespassing, you know."

"I know."

"Then get out."

"Stop being immature and show me already. It's for your job."

"I still have two days."

"And you also have a habit of getting nothing done in the last two days."

"Mind your own business."

"This _is _my business."

Given an exasperated groan, Sabo stormed down the hall and vanished into his room. Ace blinked. He never saw him like that, be it in the few days he knew him or in his memories of his One Piece counterpart. It was strange how easily angered he became when Marco was around. Why was that? Was that just the way it was between an editor and an author? Or…

When Sabo returned he shoved his laptop into the spectacled man's arms, sending him a glare before he motioned for Ace to follow him. He picked up his bags and headed into the kitchen, dropping them onto the table in irritation.

Ace blinked as he was handed two of the bags, looking between them and the blonde. Inside was what looked to be articles of clothing.

"Those are for you. I'll clear out the study so that you can have a place to sleep."

The freckled man's eyes widened. He didn't expect the blonde to be, well, considerate. Then again, his brother was like that… He had to keep reminding himself that they weren't the same. It was hard. "…Thanks." He looked over to the other bags and his mouth began to water at the sight—meat.

Sabo noticed his staring and smiled. "Now you can't complain," he stated as he walked over to the freezer and began filling it with food. Looking at the meat made him feel sick and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it, but resisted the urges telling him to cast it aside when he saw the satisfied expression on the pirate's face. After all the shit the blonde unintentionally put him through—well, it _was_ intentional, but he wouldn't have done it if he thought he could come to life—giving Ace the food he liked was the least he could do. Hopefully it would brighten his spirits a little.

As he went to grab the last of the meat he saw the older blonde enter the room. His smile dropped into a scowl and he stopped to glare.

Marco returned the look he was being given before placing the laptop on the kitchen table and looking the young blonde over. He eyed the substance in his hands. "Meat?"

Sabo rolled his eyes and continued placing the food products in the freezer. "First you barge into my home uninvited and now you criticize my diet?"

"You're actually going to eat that?"

"Of course not," he began, nodding over to the freckled man standing in the middle of the room, "it's for him."

Marco turned to the stranger and, once more, looked him over. Sabo had to like him a lot to waste his money on something that brought him so many unpleasant feelings. He found it odd that the kid seemed to come out of nowhere and yet held such control over the writer—probably unaware of that, though. The fact that Sabo even let him inside when a deadline was near was proof that he held him in high regard.

"Get to work," he commanded in a lazy tone, folding his arms and leaning against the counter.

Sabo's glare sharpened as he put the last of the groceries away. "I'm going to make dinner," he declared in a voice that gave the simple sentence a hidden meaning along the lines of 'try ordering me again and you'll regret it'.

"I'll do it. You need to finish on time for once."

As much as Sabo wanted to kick him in the shin, cuss and order him out of the apartment, the thought of not being the one to cook the meat appealed to him. Cursing in whispers, he grabbed his laptop, latched onto Ace's wrist and stormed out of the room.

Marco sighed. He wondered when that boy began to hate him so much. When Sabo was little he looked up to the blonde but somewhere along the line that admiration vanished. Well, it wouldn't do to dwell on it—happened a long time ago, after all.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder about that kid he had with him—Ace, was it? Wasn't that the same name as the character in his latest book?

* * *

Sabo sat at his desk, looking down at the dog-eared notebook he'd come to know so well. He really didn't want to go through with it. Even if Ace said he was fine with it, the blonde wasn't. How could he be? Not only would continuing the flashback cause Ace a great deal of pain but he would gain the memories of his brother's death. Knowing that, how could he possibly bring himself to complete it?

"Hey," Ace began from where he was laying on the bed, interrupting the author's inner turmoil. "That guy's Marco, right?"

"Hm?" He was reminded of the old blonde cooking in his kitchen. "Oh… That's Mark."

"But he's the same as Marco, just like the guy on the phone-thing is the same as Luffy. Why's that?"

"Oh, well…" He tried to think of how to word it, scratching his head. "A few of the characters in One Piece are based off of real people. Not all, though. And they're pretty different personality-wise."

"So that's what happened with Marco?"

"You mean Mark?"

"That's a stupid name and I refuse to use it."

Sabo rolled his eyes. "More or less."

Ace pulled his arms behind his head, looking to the ceiling as he thought. It's true that the real-world Marco seemed… different. He was a lot more serious. Though his crewmate was quiet and serious as well, it was in a different way. The first mate was kind and caring, whereas that Marco had a cold air about him. "How do you know him?"

At that point Sabo returned to his previous activity of staring at the page. "He's my father."

Ace's mind went blank. Did he hear that right? No, no, he couldn't have… Marco had a son? _Marco_ had a son? No, no, that was just… It was… "_What_?" He exclaimed, snapping out of his stupor.

"Well, adoptive father. Or he used to be."

"Marco? _Marco_ of all people?"

Sabo looked back at the pirate curiously. Was it really that surprising? Well, he supposed it was, seeing as the Marco from the story was a lot different from Mark. He wasn't really one to settle down. Neither was Mark but he didn't really—just adopted some kids. "Yeah."

"That's so…"

"Odd?"

"…Unnatural."

* * *

**A/N: Odd turn of events, eh? Well... nothing to really say here. **

**To my lovelies~**

**Mon Esprite Libre: Honestl lately it seems that all I do is sleep :P**

** : Hehe well... Let's just say that the real Luffy will shock you and leave it at that.**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: Lol why would you be close to crying? Nothing sad happened! XD Yep, doing that would be horrible. I feel for Sabo.**

**Tough chick: Yep :P**

**Sully-van: Awe you should just tell me! XD**

**Kitsune Foxfire: Hehe yep, I was lurking til I could catch up! Didn't want to spam you with 40 reviews after all :P You're welcome~ Though I can't guarantee the readers actually listened. They have a habit of not reading the Author's Note u_u Never! Muahaha! Sorry about that XD But seriously your story did the same. I was reading it and like "I REALLY should get to working on my other fics..." but I couldn't stop! And then I caught up. And then I pouted. And then I wrote... finally. **

**RedKetchup: Glad you like!**

**WeissDragon: Lol there was nothing else in Sabo's bio :P That's why all Ace read was 'catalyst'. Hehe then we can be sadists together and write crappy fanfics!**

**Portgas D. Paula: Lol incorrect but good guess ;) Ugh my art project was the reason my hand was injured for over 3 weeks. To Be A Boy has been updated~ Sadly it doesn't have as many readers so I'm trying not to update too often and focus on the top four instead.**

**nails: There're a few Sabo-centric fics out there that are pretty good. I'd give you a list, but... I'm too lazy XD I've seen a few around since I started writing this story when I was looking for something to read but most had OCs as main character and... well... I just can't stand OC stories so I can't agree or disagree that this is one of the better ones. Well I wasn't planning on there being any pairings in this story. After all, ****_To Be a Boy _****and ****_The Divide_**** are already romances (even if ****_Divide_**** kind of got side-tracked...) but I guess if enough people want me to I could incorporate it. Never wrote SaboAce though, so I can't guarantee it'll turn out very good. It also depends on whether or not I could fit it in. So far it's doubtful.**

**Stelra Etnae: Hehehe well you now have your answer! Though Ace refuses to call him 'Mark' =_=; Sorry, that was a sleep-deprived mistake. I fixed it though.**

**I'm-a-barbie-gurl: Glad you do :)**

**SioQu: Hehe you'll just have to wait and see~**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Ace and Luffy's interaction will be... Well, you guys will probably say something along the lines of "WTF DID YOU DO TO LUFFY?!" so... **

**azab: Well two people have asked for it so far so I may impliment it, though only it doesn't mess up the story.**

**Haruka-desu: Where am I going with this story? Over the medophorical rainbow!**

**Son Goshen: I shall reveal nothing! Well... I wrote his reaction and it was... umm... mixed. And odd. And cute. And facepalm-inducing. And... a lot of things, actually. **

**spoons-are-evil: It lasts at least the day! :D I would assume so. At least I think it is. And if you look at that one cover Oda made of the brothers together as adults you'll see that Ace's tattoo there was ACE so... I'd assume so. Lol yes that is pretty funny. Well he's not rutheless per se. Like I said, all of their personalities are different. You got a glimpse of that this chapter. Writing on paper is just way too tedius, especially when you're working on 6 stories at once.**

**tsarun: Yes, yes he does.**

**Diclonious57: Well you'll have to wait :/**

**(Well that's all! By the way, two people have asked me to make this into a SaboAce fic. I didn't plan on it, but... What do you guys think? If enough reviewers go for it I'll try to fit it in. Key word: try. Now if you'll excuse me I need a shower. Adieu~)**


	6. A Written Existance

**Alright, so first off I should address what I asked you last chapter - about the SaboAce pairing. Most people were for it or neutral so I'll keep that in mind as I continue writing the story. I appreciate your cooperation! There's no guarantee there will be any sort of romance between them because I'm not going to try to force a relationship but I'll keep in mind that you guys are fine with it if it starts leaning in that direction. However, some of the reviewers were against it. That's fine and I respect your opinion, but I really wish a few of you would have been more mature about it (a few, not all - most of you were wonderful and I love you for it). All you needed to do was say "I'm not interested in this being a SaboAce story" or something like that, but a few of you were, well... overdramatic. If you don't plan on reading this fic should it turn into a romance then that's fine but why tell me that? I don't care. Sure I love my readers and my reviewers even more but if someone isn't invested in it and thinks that the simple addition of a pairing they don't like is enough to stop reading altogether than I don't mind losing said reader. No one's forcing you to read. Don't like it, leave, you know? I personally try to give any pairing a try but that's just me. I understand that you may not like it but that doesn't mean you have to freak out. Also, please, please, PLEASE never leave a review that doesn't actually mention the chapter and only mentioned the AN. It drives me nuts! AHHH!**

**Sorry for the mini-rant. Anyways! This chapter is full of melodrama e_e; But with what happens I saw no other way to write it. And I'm bad at important scenes to begin with, so... yeah. Also I have chapters 7 and 8 written out already. 8 is abnormally short because I wanted to leave it off at a cliffy :P I'll try extending it, though - only 400 words until it reaches 2,000 so I'll try adding some unimportant descriptive stuff.**

**Also, we're at 101 review! Hell yes! Now let's slowly try to overrun ****_Skip_**** hehehe... Seriously, beat the shit out of that fic! Do it for me, my lovelies!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. Sabo does e_e; Yes... Sabo. Not Oda, but the fictional being that is the Blue Gentleman. ****_Divide _****reference :D**

* * *

After more coaxing from the pirate, Sabo began to write. And it was about damn time. Ace knew that the blonde wouldn't answer his questions—he had a way of discreetly brushing them off—and resigned to wait for him to get the chapter done. But he didn't want to work on it! And it was aggravating him to no end! Marco was right—he didn't get much done when a deadline neared.

He watched the blonde carefully, being sure that he was actually working on the story. Sure enough, his pen was gliding across the page, leaving being the intricate, black marks that would become the characters' lives. With pressure like that it wasn't hard for Ace to see why the author was so reluctant. Everything he wrote mattered far more than it ordinarily would. Now someone real was dependant on him.

Sabo paused and took a deep breath, allowing the ink to soak into the page. That was it. The next sentence he wrote would tell of a bandit arriving at the hideout. Ace and Luffy would find out that their brother was dead. They wouldn't believe Dogra at first. Ace would get angry like his younger self was so prone to. Luffy would cry. The former would want to avenge his brother's death but, of course, Sabo couldn't have that. He'd just get himself killed. So Dadan would tie him to a tree to keep him from going anywhere. His anger wouldn't cease, though…

Sighing, Sabo turned to peek at the pirate on his bed. He had yet to say anything—hadn't even mentioned any painful headaches. It was all too strange. He'd been writing for a good hour so Ace should have felt something, right?

Spotting the freckled man, he noticed he was clutching his head. The blonde spun to fully face him, concern welling up in his chest. "You okay?"

Ace looked up from the sheets to glance at the man then quickly looked away. "I'm fine."

"You sure? I can stop."

"No, don't. I…" Ace swallowed heavily. "Sabo, he… He's okay, right? The fire… He was in the city so he should be okay… Isn't he?"

"…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. Telling someone their loved one was dead was something he hated. What's worse was that with every word he wrote Ace was reliving the experience. He could tell by the look in his eyes. He was seeing everything happen as it was written out. That was even worse than just gaining memories. That also explained why his current headache wasn't as bad as the one in the morning; last night he'd been asleep while Sabo worked on the chapter and so everything came to him at once when he woke up. With him remaining awake he was able to go through everything as it happened, thus lessening the pain.

"Just tell me he's alright."

"…I can't."

Ace's eyes widened, then narrowed. He took a deep breath to keep calm, hoping that his assumption was incorrect. But that word wouldn't leave his mind—catalyst.

"I'll stop," Sabo declared, dropping his pen onto the wooden surface of the desk.

"No, keep going."

"Ace…"

"I need to know."

Pulling his mouth into a taut line, Sabo resumed his work. He wrote out what Dogra said to the boys and went into detail describing what happened next—their faces, their feelings, their reactions—all-the-while hating himself for doing so, knowing that it would soon be transferred to the mind of a _living person_. He couldn't help but think that Ace was a moron. Why was he so persistent? What was he so _goddam_ set on finding out what happened? He would have been happier unaware. Ignorance is bliss.

"Dammit," Ace cursed as he slammed his fist into the nearest wall, holding back just enough to not leave a mark. He remembered. He remembered the letter and Luffy and being pissed off. And… he remembered reading that letter alone, crying. He cried. Back then, when he finished his brother's final message, he cried. Of course he cried—Sabo was _dead_. His brother… His friend…

"…Ace?" the blonde said in a questioning tone, placing his hand on the freckled man's shoulder.

The fire user's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. _Sabo._ He realized at some pointed he'd hugged his legs to his chest and hung his head, likely in response to the memories. But he didn't care about that. Sabo was there, _alive_. He was, so…

When Ace looked at him, Sabo remained silent. The pirate's eyes were glossed with tears that threatened to fall and he just sat there staring at him. More and more he regretted continuing. He shouldn't have. He should have stopped or changed the story or… or _something_. But he didn't. He listened to Ace's pleas and as a result one of the most powerful characters he'd ever imagined looked like he was about to cry.

"S-Sabo," the man stuttered, liquid slowly trailing down his cheeks as he tried to fight back sobs. Before he realized what he was doing he'd pulled the blonde nearer, wrapping his arm around his neck.

"Oi…" Sabo began, caught off-guard by that. "Ace, I'm not…"

"I-I know. Sorry, I just…"

The writer sighed and patted the man on the back. Never did he think the great Fire Fist Ace would willfully embrace someone—well, except maybe Luffy. But… it made sense and he couldn't blame him. He probably felt like his brother died right then. Technically speaking he did… Seeing someone identical to him must have been hard, too. Or maybe it relieved him. He couldn't tell.

"I know you're not him," Ace began, voice trembling slightly, "but… you are."

"Hm?" The blonde pulled away from the embrace to look the pirate in the eyes, questioning him.

Ace looked away. "You are. He was based off you and… you're alike…"

Sabo let out a breath. "I don't have his memories. Even if I know of them, I didn't experience them. We're not the same."

"I know, but…" Ace clenched his fist, the memory of that letter still sitting at the forefront of his mind. "…I can't help but see you as my brother."

Sabo was afraid of that. He didn't want to get that close to the man. He knew Ace never really bothered to think of he and his counterpart as separate entities, even if he said he did. And the pirate would likely feel that for any of the people he met in reality that resembled characters in the story. But he couldn't blame him. He meant to keep a distance between them, but…

"Alright, then."

"…Eh?" Ace turned to him once more.

"I'll be your brother."

"You… you… what?"

"Well, we're similar like you said. He was based on me, so… I guess I already was your brother, huh?" he explained, scratching the back of his head. He knew that was a stupid move. He knew that it would just make things more complicated and he would regret it later. But… "Unless, of course, he decides to appear in my living room." When he said that he made a move to look in the direction of the closed door, seriously hoping that wasn't the case. He really didn't want to meet his ten-year-old doppelganger.

Ace smiled a bit, amused by the thought. He was glad Sabo said that. The sentiment was the only thing pushing away the dread his new memories brought with them. "…Thanks."

Sabo grinned. "I was already taking care of you. Besides, a little brother wouldn't be so bad."

"Oi, what do you mean 'little'?"

"You're twenty. I'm twenty-five."

"…Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

"…Just get writing. I wanna cheer up, dammit."

* * *

Mark stood at the door to Sabo's room, contemplating the conversation he overheard. It seemed that the boy held the stranger in closer regard than he originally thought, making him his 'brother' like he did. But that wasn't what bothered him. Well it _was_ a cause for concern when comparing that to the author's usual attitude towards the concept of 'family', but he wasn't too worried about it. What he was most focused on was the third party they referred to—the hidden implication that Sabo and someone else were the same. And Sabo _created_ that person? Well, that made no sense. At least it shouldn't have. Something told the editor that there was more to it than what was said.

While he originally planned to call them for dinner he decided against it. From the sound of it, Sabo was actually working and he didn't want to interrupt his flowing thoughts. After raising him for several years he was more aware than anyone that breaking the boy's rhythm could very well destroy an entire chapter. That's why his flat was off-limits when a deadline neared. That was why he distanced himself from people and why he locked himself away in his room. But things were different—he had that kid with him. How would that affect his writing?

* * *

_Mark slowly opened the door to his eldest son's room, peering across the space and to the tiny, blonde form of the boy slumped over his desk. He sighed, moving in closer. He'd been distant recently. In fact they rarely talked regardless of the fact that they lived in the same house. He was always alone._

_He went to pick up the child, planning to move him to the far more comfortable surface of the bed, but paused when he saw what the boy was laying on—notebooks. After tucking his son in he returned to the desk and picked one up, flipping through it and scanning it at an impressive rate. Written was some matter of story. It was just drabbles of sorts and didn't seem very developed but, for the writings of an eleven-year-old, it was more than just a little interesting. He caught himself reading through it and gave a mental scolding, knowing he shouldn't pry into the boy's work like he was. Still, he never knew Sabo had an interest in writing._

_He closed that notebook and did the same for the others but one caught his eye. On the open page was a very crude, sketchy drawing of three boys. One looked exactly like Luffy only he had a scar on his face. Giving a sigh, he closed it and placed it onto the pile with the others, looking over to the sleeping child with concern._

"_What am I going to do with you yoi?"_

* * *

"Finally!" Sabo shouted as he leant back and stretched his arms wide, hoping to rid himself of the cramps in his left wrist. Never before did writing a chapter feel so intense. He felt like life as he knew it was hanging in the balance. Well it was—sort of—for a certain pirate. Nothing felt as strange as knowing he controlled someone's entire existence. Hell, he brought him to life in the first place! Well, that was… He shivered and made a mental note to never think of it that way again.

"Feeling better?" he asked as he turned to face the black haired man who was smiling on his bed. That chapter contained what happened after Ace's brother died all of the way up until the day Luffy left home. It went so far as to show a talk the present Luffy had with Jinbe and his return to Marineford—the secret message he gave his crew. Though the last bit wouldn't affect Ace, he thought it was the best way to close that installment of the series. After all, leaving it off at the end of the memories would make it feel incomplete. That was the last thing he wanted.

Ace couldn't remove his smile as he stared up at the ceiling. No longer did he feel incomplete. He had a vast array of memories, each a precious piece of his past. It was a past that existed in fiction, just like his life, but he didn't dwell on that. Instead he recalled his days with his brothers and the times they shared. The only other time he felt such elation was when he joined the Whitebeard pirates. It was great. He still couldn't help but remember Sabo—the one from his world—dying, but… it didn't feel like he was gone. The author said that they were different but Ace could tell that wasn't as true as the blonde made it out to be. If his brother grew up he was certain they'd be identical. Maybe he knew Sabo just like Sabo knew him—more than they did about themselves. Or maybe he was imagining it.

"Yeah."

* * *

**A/N: We got our first flashback! Yay~ *dances* And don't worry, the drama is lighter after this. I'm sure you can understand why I had to make it so sappy. Forgive me! Also, I didn't really want to make Ace cry (Had enough of those scenes in ****_To Be a Boy_**** :P) but he was basically reliving the scene from the anime/manga where he is told that Sabo is dead and, well, people cry when their family members and friends die, not to mention he cried while reading the letter when he was little, so I felt crying was appropriate. It would have been kinda weird if he didn't, right? Yeah, so... yeah. Um... I feel like there's something I should be telling you... Next week is my last week of school, but I don't think that was it... Uh... Er... Whatever! Just enjoy the damn chapter and leave me a review telling me what you think! Oh, and you guys failed me! Not one person mentioned Marco not saying 'yoi'! You should all be ashamed!**

**...Should I start doing the minimum-review count thing like I do with ****_Divide_****? You guys would hate me if I did hehe...**

**To my lovelies~**

**Sully-van: Glad you like :) And thanks for being polite about your choice, unlike some people.**

**Haruka-desu: Yes, OVER THE RAINBOW! I want to make that a running gag or something... we should do it :P Isn't it?! It's just so wrong! But you'll see why I did that later ;)**

**Mon Esprite Libre: Yep, not implausible, just unlikely ;) Lol I never even realized I added tension to my fics. Yay me! Anyways, really happy you enjoyed!**

**Portgas D. Paula: To be honest, I've never read one either, I don't think... There's a first time for everything! And I find it easier to believe than some other pairings hehe. Sure, I'll try! Maybe. I dunno, we'll see where the story takes us. I have everything planned out but if it starts sounding like they're a couple then I'll just go with it. Lol I'm glad it was unexpected! **

**azab: Thank you for your vote~ Isn't it? Honestly when I mapped out the plot even I had trouble getting used to it. But you'll see why it's like that eventually.**

**Cloud Piece: Glad you think so :) Hehe I knew it would surprise you guys!**

**Son Goshen: To be honest, I always saw him as the 'mother' of the Whitebeard pirates too XD Interesting theory! Can't say if you're right or not, but interesting theory nonetheless! And Sabo hating his dad is... Well... It's overly complex :P Real world Luffy is going to be my favourite tool to mess with you guys with :P And it all starts at chapter 8 with a cliffy bwahaha! Seriosuly, he's... he's interesting. For me at least. Because he's so unlike Monkey D. Luffy. And thanks for your vote~**

** : There are more parts in later chapters that deal with Ace hating the name 'Mark' :P It's an ongoing thing that I didn't plan on. Next encounter will be next chapter! With Mark again, though. Hehehe... I'm glad you're one of the people would wouldn't mind :) There won't be much romance anyways, if there's any at all.**

**Guest: I don't mind that you don't want the pairing but what's unnatural about it? They're not related by blood. And fanfiction at it's core is unnatural. If a tiny bit of romance is enough to make you not like the story then I suggest you don't read anymore. I'm undecided on whether I'm going to add the pairing or not but if it bothers you then you might as well leave. Also, please don't post a review if you're not going to mention the chapter.**

**WeissDragon: Lol everyone agrees with Ace XD Please send me a link to it when you finish! I would LOVE to see it! :D**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Calm down :P Aren't you one of the ****_Divide_**** readers as well? e_e; It's the same situation as it would be with AceLu. Or I could be wrong... hard to keep track of who reads what unless they leave tons of reviews. Unfortunately for you most people voted 'yes' or were neutral. I don't know if you're one of the people who want to stop reading the story if that pairing is added. It may not become a part of the story but I warn you that it might. Anyways, thanks for the vote. You'll find out why Sabo and Mark are like that if you keep reading :P Lol tell that to all of the Marks in the world.**

**Stelra Etnae: Hehehe you shall see. Thanks for your vote!**

**Vergina-spva: Sadly no MarcoAce in this story. The only MarcoAce fic I have going right now is ****_To Be a Boy_**** and that pairing wouldn't work well in this fic, even if it's my favourite. But don't worry, I will ship them in future fics :D And thanks for your vote~**

**I'm-a-barbie-gurl: Hehe even in chapter 8 he doesn't accept his name :P It became an ongoing joke without me realizing it. Nope, he wouldn't have to write about it. Now that all of Ace's role has been completed in the fic Ace is, more or less, his own person :D He can think for himself... though that's kind of a bad thing with how impulsive he can be e_e Oh well. Thanks for the vote~**

**teengens: Lol it IS my way of bullshitting XD I haven't really tried my hardest with writing in... well, ever. It would take the fun out of writing, you know? Anyways glad to hear you're branching out and trying some of my other fics! I appreciate it :D**

**Kitsune Foxfire: Why is everyone so indecisive?! I'm on the fence myself =3= Lol I agree it's pretty messed up. Lol I agree, probably not the best dad. Well, you'll get to see a bit of their past as time goes on and can decide for yourself whether he was a good father or not :P Yep. And you'll see even more contrast between Sabo and his counterpart as time goes on! But, like Ace said, you'll also see similarities. It's the same for the other characters, too. I'm gonna totally creep you guys out when Luffy comes in XD And Law. Oh, Law... That might feel even more wrong than Mark/Marco being a father. Yep, he was! Though only for a little bit and a flashback. You caught that? I didn't think anyone would notice or remember that. Bravo! I'm impressed :) **

**Diclonious57: Does it?!**

**Cyborgnetics: Lol sounds awesome. Been meaning to read that fic but I haven't had time. Thanks for your vote!**

**spoons-are-evil: Yes, yes he does. Lol yep it's very obvious. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I can't say :P But I CAN say that most of your questions won't be answered anytime soon :P How am I able to keep 6 going, you ask? Reviewers! Reviewers are the sole reason I haven't dropped any. **

**Starry Roses: I've dropped some hints on whether or not Ace has a real-life counterpart so you could look back and check if you want :P Lol honestly I don't care what you guys like better so long as I get feedback. I certainly find the other one to be more fun to write than this, though. Nah, he didn't forget. He just didn't bring it up. Calm yourself :P Does the simple addition of a pairing bother you that much? All you had to say was 'no'... Anyways, the 'yes' and neural groups won so it may be implimented. If that possibility really bothers you then I suggest you stop reading now before the story gets some depth to it. Thanks for your vote~**

**13-BlackCat-2020: I will! Glad you like~ They'll meet when they meet :P**

**OtakuBoss: Glad you do! Honestly I can't stand writing on paper :P But I though Sabo would be the type to to things that way. I will~**

**(Okay, that's everyone! Ugh I wanted to take a nap but it's almost 10... Time to force myself awake with caffiene! I wanted to get some writing done but I have like no energy... YouTube, here I come! Adieu~)**


	7. Dinner

**So... update. Yay? Umm... I feel like I should write more... But... I don't know what to say... Pineapple aliens.**

**Also if you're bored I have a video or two of me drawing Portgas D. Ann on my YouTube :P It was fun~ But yeah, just thought I'd do some self-advertising**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

Ace sat awkwardly, placed between the two blondes at the table, sweat beading down his neck. Never before did he feel such a dense aura between two people. It felt like at any moment one was just going to jump up and attack the other. Truly it was terrifying, especially considering how calm they both usually were. Well, how calm he _thought_ they were—as Sabo stated earlier, the real world counterparts of the people he knew were different. Still, it was unpleasant.

What bothered him most were the manners. They both were neatly chewing their food, quietly going about their meal as if it was normal. Nothing felt more wrong. Marco was a _pirate_, dammit, and he _ate_ like one, too. Or he was supposed to, but that stupid Mark—he still hated the name—was being all polite about it! And Sabo was doing it, too, which was just as bad. Sure he wasn't as bad as Ace or Luffy but even he used only a minimal amount of manners while eating. Dinner felt… forced. It wasn't as fun as it used to be with his brothers.

"Something wrong?" Sabo asked, noticing the looks he was being given.

"This is just so… _wrong_," the freckled man stated. Both blondes stopped eating to look at him questioningly as he continued. "You!" He pointed to Mark. "You're not like this! You're _never_ like this! Thatch would be ashamed!"

Mark blinked, wondering what the hell the boy was going on about.

"Ace we talked about this," the author said with a sigh.

"I don't care! I know he's not Marco but dammit he looks like him!"

The man in question narrowed his eyes. "Marco?"

Now Sabo was the nervous one. He didn't exactly feel like telling 'Daddy' that a character from his book fell into the living room. He'd end up in a mental institution pretty fast—they both would. So, having nothing else come to his mind, he slammed his fist into the back of the pirate's head.

"Ow! The hell was that for?" Ace asked in irritation while rubbing the sore spot on his skull. Why did that hurt? He was a logia user! It shouldn't have hurt!

"Just shut up and eat," Sabo ordered, picking up his fork and resuming his previous task of emptying his plate.

"And you—this isn't like you, either."

"I told you I'm—"

"—Different, I know. But that doesn't make it right."

There was another sigh. "You're hopeless."

Ace pouted at that and then glared at his plate. He'd finished it three times already—which alarmed Marco because he never witnessed someone with such an insatiable appetite—and, while he could normally eat much more, the atmosphere made him lose his interest. After a short internal debate he stood from his chair and paused. "I'm done."

"Already?" Sabo asked, surprised that his character was eating so little in comparison to usual.

"Yeah." With that he filed into the living room, pulled one of the _One Piece_ books from its shelf and sat on the couch to read.

Mark watched him from the kitchen table, studying him momentarily. Something was up with that kid. He was… off. What was he going on about? He said he looked like Marco… That name sounded familiar. He heard it before, but where? And then he mentioned someone named Thatch. Who was that? And how was he relevant? The editor was becoming more suspicious of the man as the night went on.

Sabo noticed the wary glares his father was giving his guest and, again, grew nervous. He wasn't a stupid man—he'd figure it out in time, especially with how Ace couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. The blonde had given him a ten minute long lecture about why he couldn't say anything about the book or where he came from and only a half hour later he seemed to forget that. He also didn't seem to put much effort into remembering that the people from his world were not the same as the ones in reality. At the rate they were going it wouldn't end well.

Mark turned to his son with an accusing look on his face. He saw how distracted the boy was—highly unusual for him—and knew there was something he was hiding. "Well?"

"What?"

"You going to tell me what's going on?"

The author sent him a dull, threatening glare. He hated that man sometimes. He hated how perceptive he was. Then again, Ace's big mouth was making it too obvious. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that," Mark began, leaning forward. "I can tell when you're lying."

"I call bullshit."

"_Sabo_," the older began threateningly, "tell me."

With a groan the blonde crossed his arms and fixed his gaze on the wood of the table. He hated when his so-called 'father' used that scolding tone; it made him feel like a kid again. He wasn't ten years old and damn it he didn't want to be treated like he was. Mentally he slapped himself, remembering where the inspiration from Ace's temperament came from—himself when he was around that man.

_Think fast_. He needed to come up with some form of explanation because that was the only way the subject would be dropped. "I'm… helping him out." He knew that if Ace heard what he was about to say he'd be pissed. It was a good thing he left the room, then.

"With?"

"He had a bit of an… accident. Now he thinks he's Portgas D. Ace from my novel."

"…He does, does he?"

"…Yeah. And I'm trying to set him straight. He thinks people who look similar to the characters are them, so I'm having him stay here to avoid any incidents."

"I see."

_Shit._ He knew something was up. He realized that there were lies in the story he told. Well it was partially true so maybe he would overlook them. Sure enough, the man began eating once more. Sabo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, feeling relief wash over him.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Mark was at the door. He slipped on his shoes and looked over at the 'mentally ill' boy on the couch, catching the glances he was giving. It seemed the freckled youth had been eyeing him all night—it likely had to do with the 'Marco' thing. He finally remembered where he heard the name before. Speaking of, it was that comment that led him to see through Sabo's story; how could he think that he looked like Marco when the character never had his sketch made public, let alone been written into the published volumes? Even Mark, himself, didn't know what that character looked like. He was one of the few characters that didn't get a profile and, other than the installment the author was currently working on, he almost never showed up. How could that kid possibly know what he looked like?

Then there was another thing—the talk he overheard in the bedroom. He remembered his concern over that 'person' that apparently resembled his son. He also recalled that Sabo was adding a character to the story based off himself. It only took a matter of seconds for him to connect those observations. Thing is, nothing at all was known about that character yet 'Ace' seemed to know quite a bit about him from what he overheard. And Sabo indulged his beliefs—the blonde wasn't one to do so unless he found it to be true.

Mark grabbed his case and was about to turn to the door when he spotted the boy staring at him.

"Leaving?" Ace asked, placing the book in his lap, index finger between the pages to keep from losing his spot.

"Yeah," the blonde replied simply, a bit surprised by his calm tone. After how fidgety he was at dinner and how much he shouted it was a weird contrast to see him behave. His first impression of the youth was that he was very wary, but after a little bit longer with him he thought he was eccentric. That changed, again, just then. Suddenly he was… Well, Mark wasn't sure how to explain it, but he certainly was different than before.

The freckled man gave him a lop-sided smile. "Too bad; it was nice seeing a familiar face." He noticed the blonde's eyes narrowed and realized his mistake. "Ah, I know you're not him. You look like him, though."

"…I see." Hearing something like that was really making him wonder how much of Sabo's story was true. It appeared he really did think that he knew the characters from the book which was a bit unnerving. He decided to play along to see what else the boy would divulge. "We're similar, then?"

"Identical. It's kind of creepy. Only, well, Marco doesn't wear glasses." There was a short pause. "And you don't really act like him. Sabo said you wouldn't, though. Oh, but don't tell him I told you, 'kay?"

"Why?"

Ace shrugged. "Doesn't want you to know—said we'll end up in a 'white room' or something."

"…"

"When are you coming back?" he asked. As much as the differences between the editor and first mate annoyed him, it was still comforting to have him around. Marco was like his big brother—someone he could confide in. And… maybe if he knew more about him he'd find similarities between the counterparts.

Mark blinked. He was surprised to be asked that. "…You want me to come back?" They didn't even know each other, not to mention the kid seemed irritated with him at dinner.

"Of course!" Ace put his hand over his mouth and peered down the hall to make sure Sabo didn't hear him. The last thing he wanted was to be scolded for not keeping their secret. He couldn't help it! He hated lying to his family and, as far as he was concerned, Mark was Marco and, therefore, was his brother. Though the thought of his brother being the father of his other brother was, well… It freaked him out, to say the least. "I know you're not him, but… It feels like you are, you know? I can't help it."

A long silence fell between them. Ace worried that he said too much—he promised to keep his mouth shut and did the exact opposite, after all.

Mark decided it was best to be direct. That boy wasn't nearly as cautious as his son was and he planned to use that to his advantage in the hope that he would help him figure out what was going on. He seemed willing to give him whatever information he wanted and then some. Of course, the possibility of him being mentally ill took away some of his credibility but the blonde wanted to hear what he had to say regardless. "So you're Portgas D. Ace, then? The pirate?" If he confirmed that then Sabo's story would likely be true. After all, that person only existed in fiction.

Ace grinned. "You're taking this a lot calmer than Sabo did," he stated, seemingly analyzing Mark's expression. "But I know that look—Marco used it every time I said something wasn't my fault. You don't believe me."

"Not at all."

The freckled youth chuckled a bit at that. Mark was far blunter than his counterpart. "Want me to show you something?"

"What?"

Looking cautiously down the hall to make sure Sabo wasn't coming, his grin widened. He pointed his finger up into the air and watched the other smugly as he lit the first digit on fire. After remembering that Devil Fruit didn't exist in that world he found it would be the perfect way to prove his point.

Mark's normally lidded eyes widened. For a moment he thought he was seeing things—a trick of the light or his mind messing with him—but no matter how long he stared the flame did not disappear. Then he looked to the man's face, seeing a cocky grin. He watched as more fingers went aflame and saw his shoulders light as well. Ten seconds later all traces of the fire vanished, the only proof left behind being the slight smell of smoke. "You…" was all he managed to say.

"Heh. Don't tell Sabo you know; he'll kill me or use that notebook to get revenge," he said, shivering at the thought.

"How did you…?" For a moment Mark filed the 'notebook' comment into his memories, making a mental note to find out what he meant some other time when he wasn't internally freaking out.

"I'm a logia user. Ate the Mera Mera no Mi, remember? If you're the editor then you should know." The confident smile slowly vanished as a thought appeared in his head. "…You're not scared, right?" The last thing he wanted was for his crewmate's doppelganger to think he'd set him on fire or something like that. Even back in his world—in the story—people feared Devil Fruit users. The inhabitants of the so-called 'real world' would likely have even worse reactions to his ability because it wasn't supposed to be possible. He didn't think about that before showing him.

"No…" _A little. Or maybe a lot, actually._ "It… just surprised me."

"…Sorry." So it was a bad idea, after all.

"Don't be." He actually had a small reason to believe the self-proclaimed pirate. After all, that should _not_ have been possible. Still, there was no solid proof and Mark liked to think of himself as a rational person, meaning he didn't believe things so easily. He would consider it, though.

"Thursday," he said simply.

"Huh?" Ace looked up at the blonde with curious eyes.

"I'll be here on Thursday to pick up the manuscript. We can talk then."

Ace's face lit up at that. He smiled brightly, glad that the stupid, impulsive show of his 'talents' wasn't a mistake. Mark wasn't scared. Hell, he even answered his question from earlier. Things were looking up. "Alright! I'll let Sabo know."

The blonde sighed. "Best you don't; he doesn't exactly get along well with me."

The pirate blinked a few times, pondering that. "Yeah he does."

"And what makes you think that, _Portgas_?"

The freckled boy's grin returned along with his confidence. He didn't think that, he _knew_ it. "He wouldn't have based Marco off you if he didn't."

* * *

**A/N: Um yeah. There you go. Bet you can't guess the plot for the next chapter :P Hehehehe...**

**To my lovelies~**

**mrsfirefist: I don't take requests, sorry :P It wouldn't fit into the current plot anyways. You'll hear his opinion about both the One Piece Luffy and the real world Luffy later on, though, so don't worry.**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: Lol it's okay. Yep, Sabo's writing makes everything more dramatic. Well you got to see a bit of that this chapter :P It wasn't even a sad flashback XD**

**MsWildLuck: Well I'm glad you liked it :)**

**AikoLoveGirl: Hehe well a bit of that happened this chapter :P**

**Sully-van: It might make you sad. It's not all bad, though. And don't worry, you'll find out about it in detail later. I agree.**

**Cyborgnetics: What do you mean by 'not a few days late'? I don't have a set time when I update, I just do it whenever. More than likely you missed the important ones. No one mentioned them.**

**WeissDragon: Lol well I'm glad you enjoy it. Hehe you give it too much credit. The tattoo is actually important to the plot so it'll be in there later.**

**Stelra Etnae: Hehe there's a reason for that. Well Ace just told him everything, so...**

**Portgas D. Paula: Lol yep at least.**

**Kitsune Foxfire: That would be pretty disasterous. But interesting :P Apparently he did not. Nope, Ace is the one being weird at dinner hehe. You shall have to wait and see.**

**Son Goshen: Yep, pretty depressing huh? The mindfuck has already begun. I'm not tormenting him, he got himself into this mess! Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. I'm interested in hearing your theory :P**

**spoons-are-evil: Not really :P I can't say anything without giving spoilers hehe. Actually that would be pretty entertaining... I'm going to write that for a bonus chapter! Lol no one did. The only time he said yoi in the story was in the flashback. Lol that would have been awesome.**

**TakeThatNinja: Glad you like!**

**azab: Glad you like!**

**Starry Roses: Lol I always do. He might not, you know.**

**teengens: There will be no AceLu in this fic. At all. Yep, very out of place. I shall!**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Well I'm not really looking to change people's minds. If you like it, you like it. If you don't, you don't. You will have to wait until later to find out.**

**RexLink: Well Ace is the one who wanted to remember in the first place. That's not right. It's more complicated than that. Well it's nice to hear that you do :)**

**(Aaaand that's everyone! I'm going to go now and, uh, do something. Like watch YouTube videos. Or... or... yell at my dog for sleeping on my pillow. Or yell at my annoying friend sitting beside me who won't shut up and keeps laughing and my god I'm going to shoot her.)**


	8. Calling

**So this chapter's shorter than usual. I'm sick and I'm having trouble thinking well enough to write so don't complain, alright? I'll be back to full length next chapter (meaning either I'll get well soon or it won't be updated for a while while I'm recovering). Seriously, I'm so damn unlucky, getting sick my last week of school. If I believed in curses, this would be one.**

**So originally this story was only going to be 10 chapters long. That kind of changed. Then it was going to be 35 chapters. Now I'm thinking 20-25. That means that it's not going to be too long so it'll quicken the pace. Why am I (possibly) doing this? Because I want to get started on some other fic ideas I have and in order to do that I first need to finish this, ****_Skip_**** and ****_To Be a Boy. _****What does that mean for you? Well for the readers who thought the story was going to be as in-depth and complex and compelling as ****_Divide_**** it means they were unfortunately mistaken. I just thought I'd give you guys an idea on how long it's going to be.**

**Question: What kind of bonus/es would you like to see for this fic before it's finished? Give me any ideas you have! Also, feel free to tell me any bonus ideas you have for my other fics. I'd like to do a few more before they finish.**

* * *

Wednesday afternoon Sabo finished the manuscript. Never did he feel so accomplished because he somehow managed to pull through despite all of the crap he went through at the end. And he finished it a day early, too! He'd send the file to Mark—hopefully that would keep him from showing up the next day for a printed copy. Keeping him away now that Ace was living there was his main priority; he didn't need him to figure out who he really was.

Ace walked into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge, grabbing out the leftovers. He had Sabo show him how to use the microwave the previous day and instantly fell in love. After all, it only took minutes to cook his meat!

As he waited for his meal to heat up he turned to the blonde. "Marco's coming tomorrow, right?"

"It's Mark."

"I don't care, I hate that name. It can go die in a hole; see how many fucks I give."

Sabo rolled his eyes. "And no, he won't have to come. I'm sending him the file so there's no reason for him to show up."

"Oi, oi, that's not fair. He said he'd come, dammit," he said in disappointment.

"We can't have him here, Ace. Aside from the fact that I can't stand being around him, if he finds out about you—"

"Too late, I told him."

"…You _what_?" Sabo's voice went low and dark. He let out a deep, shuddering breath. "No, wait, it's fine. He thinks you're ill."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"

"He won't believe you."

"Of course he will! I showed him!"

"You… You… Damn it, Ace!" He slammed an irritated fist into the tabletop to let out his frustration. "Of all the… You just can't listen, can you?"

Ace's mouth formed a taut line. His brow furrowed as he glared back at the blonde. "I don't lie to family."

"He's not family! He's not Marco, Ace. No matter how much they look alike, they're not the same." Oh how Sabo regretted basing a handful of his characters off of real people. It seemed like a good idea at the time but complicated matters to no end. Naturally he wouldn't do so again—just in case another fictional being popped into existence in his living room.

"He is," Ace protested, looking back to the microwave as it beeped. He grabbed his plate and utensils and slammed them onto the kitchen table, taking a seat across from the blonde and eyeing him. "Even if he's not Marco, he's still family. He's your old man, right? And I'm your brother. So, he's family."

The author broke their silent stare-down to sigh and press his palm against the side of his head in the hope that it would quell his ensuing migraine. "…I don't consider him a father." He hated how everything he wanted to keep to himself was shoved into the spotlight whenever that stupid pirate was involved.

The freckled youth began shoveling bite-sized pieces of chicken into his mouth. "Why?" he asked as he chewed.

"I have my reasons."

Ace growled in frustration. "Quit avoiding my goddam questions! It's annoying!" He thought for a moment and remembered something—what he said to Mark before he left. "I know you don't hate him; you wouldn't have based Marco off him if you did."

"I was running out of character designs."

"I call bullshit." He saw the blonde's eyebrow twitch and knew he got it right. "If it was just that then Mar—"

Ace was interrupted by a persistent ringing that resounded through the flat. It had damn good timing because Sabo was starting to lose his calm. If he could he preferred not to show the pirate that they shared similar anger problems—he had enough to deal with. It wasn't much of an exaggeration to say that the writer flew out of the room and into the living room to answer it.

The fire user followed him, unwilling to drop the conversation. "Hey, I'm not—"

"Lu?"

For a moment Ace forgot to breathe. There was a pause where the two males remained silent.

"Huh? Yeah, I just finished. I'm going to send it to… Oi, what's wrong?"

At that, Ace walked to the blonde's side and pressed in close to the phone. Even if that Luffy wasn't the same as the one he grew up with, they were still brothers. He didn't care what Sabo said—nothing would make him think otherwise. And, of course, he was worried when he heard that. Did something happen? Was he hurt?

"…Can you come here?" the boy's quiet voice asked from the device.

"Now?" Sabo looked to Ace, silently cursing his situation. He didn't trust him to visit Luffy, seeing as he already told Mark a lot, but also knew that he would refuse to stay home if it meant he wouldn't get to see his brother. "Why?"

"I… need a ride."

"No money?" He heard coughing come through the speaker, followed by the sounds of tires splashing against water. He was outside. They had a lot of rainfall over the past few days and, naturally, there was some flooding. It wasn't exactly pleasant to be outdoors in weather like that. "Where are you?"

"…I don't know."

"You don't… What happened?"

Luffy coughed again, repeatedly, until he entered a fit. Eventually his hoarse voice subsided and he cleared his throat. "It's hard to explain. And it's dark. I'm tired, Sabo…"

Dark? It was only sunset. Then again, the blonde wasn't too surprised to hear that. Luffy called him with similar stories all of the time. Likely he was in an ally somewhere or, a little less likely, the playground. Why the playground? Well, he had a tendency to… It didn't matter. He didn't bother to think about it, knowing he'd have to explain it to the muscle-head standing next to him eventually. Sabo hated repeating himself. "If I don't know where you are I can't pick you up, now can I?"

"…"

"How bad is it this time?"

"…I… I can't feel my legs."

"_Shit._ Lu, listen to me: I need you to look around and tell me what you see—a street sign, or a monument or something."

There was no noise from the other line—no response, no acknowledgement.

"Stay awake, Lu."

It was so quiet that the blonde would have thought he hung up had it not been for the lack of a dial tone. After a while the sounds of haggard breathing made their way to his ears.

"There's… a graveyard down the street."

"Can you see the name?"

"Nu-uh, too tired, can't stay focused. I think… I'm between some buildings." An ally—just like he thought. "There aren't any people."

"What else?" Sabo pressed, hoping to get a little more to go by. Normally the boy was a lot more descriptive than that, which showed just how bad off he was.

"…It's cold," he said in a shuddering, child-like voice. "I-I can't move, Sabo…"

Unable to take any more of it, Ace snatched the device from his caretaker's hands. "We'll be there soon, Lu. I promise."

"…Who?"

"Oi!" Sabo took the phone back, sending a warning glare in Ace's direction. "I'll come find you. Do you remember where you were before it happened?"

Luffy paused, his breaths the only sign he was still there. "…School."

"Alright. I'll be there soon, okay? Just hang on until then."

Luffy grunted his acknowledgement and Sabo placed the phone back on its receiver, sighing. It'd been a while since he last had to pick the boy up—half a year—and he hoped he wouldn't have to do so anymore. But that wasn't the case and so he would have to look for a graveyard.

"Oi, what's going on?" Ace asked, frantically hurrying after the blonde as he went to grab his jacket. He never heard his brother sound so… weak. Helpless.

"He's hurt." The boy hadn't told him so but he'd been in that situation enough times to get the gist of what happened. That's why he wasn't freaking out; he knew Luffy would be alright so long as he got there fast enough. Maybe he didn't match up to Monkey D. Luffy but he was still quite resilient.

Grabbing his navy jacket he slipped his arms through the sleeves and started doing up the buttons quickly. He went in the kitchen to grab his keys off the counter, being sure to secure them in his pocket.

"What do you mean? He's hurt? How?"

"I can't say."

"You need to start explaining—"

"I really can't. It's different every time."

Ace backed down, clenching his fist. "But… But Luffy, he…"

"He'll be fine. You can check for yourself when we get there, alright?"

"…Huh?" He was letting him go along? Ace was certain the blonde would use whatever means necessary to make him stay behind. After all, he wasn't exactly trustworthy, seeing as he went and told Mark everything.

"But go put a shirt on for fuck's sake. I don't need some half-naked idiot drawing attention to us."

He watched as Ace hurried into the study, sighing once more. He'd done a lot of that since the fire user appeared; having to deal with the baggage that came with one of his characters being brought to life weighed heavily on his nerves. And he had Luffy to worry about as well. Really, what kind of trouble did he get himself into? Sabo had a rough idea of where he was, though—there was only one graveyard anywhere near the university—so it likely wouldn't be long before he found out.

Ace exited the study-turned-bedroom, arms flailing as he hurried to put on one of his shirts. He was about to bolt out the door when the blonde stopped him.

"If you're going to come along I need you to promise something."

The freckled man turned back to Sabo and blinked curiously. "What is it?"

"Don't ask questions and don't show yourself unless I say you can. Understood?"

"…Fine."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah. The other reason this chapter is shorter? I wanted to end it there :P That is all.**

**To my lovelies~**

** : Hehe indeed. Ace can be perceptive when he wants to be :P**

**Portgas D. Paula: Lol I can just see Sabo writing all these horrible things if Ace ever pissed him off enough, then watching as they all took effect. Well he gets that but he doesn't act on it. **

**Son Goshen: Maybe, maybe not. They have a lot of... issues, some of which cannot be so easily mended.**

**Kitsune Foxfire: Ace has a big mouth e_e And he even told Sabo that he told Mark! ...Idiot. But that will come into play later :P Hehe glad you did!**

**I'm-a-barbie-gurl: Glad you did! Yes, yes he is. I wonder what you guys will think of the "other" Luffy. Thatch does not have a counterpart. Which is why Mark doesn't know about him. Remember: only a few select characters were based off of 'real' people. **

**MsWildLuck: Glah you like!**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Lol don't, you never know if he'll tell or not :P Although in his defense, he thought of Mark as Marco who was someone he really trusted, so... But yeah, still bad. Had to happen for the plot though, and Sabo sure as hell wasn't going to tell him.**

**Douana: Hehe glad you like! While you're waiting you may want to check out my other fics :P Some are much better than this. Like, well, ****_Divide_**** which is based on a similar feel with a more serious and complicated plot. And yes, ****_Two Worlds_**** and ****_Kill the Rabbit _****are great. I'd also suggest ****_So I Can Be the Snake, The Devil's Fruit, _****and ****_Burning Rubber._**

**spoons-are-evil: Yes it would be XD Lol so you'd be rooting for Sabo? Nope, he really can't - even told Sabo that he told Mark, the moron u_u; No, no he won't. Ace is going to find out exactly what Sabo told Mark and, well... things will get interesting :P Well yes but Marco was only really in the Marineford one, which is the one that Sabo was getting published, so no one read it yet. Mark knows who Marco is - even said who he was in the last chapter - he just didn't remember at first because it's just a character's name. Nope, Sabodidn't change the plot at all. Lol actually it didn't save Sabo at all. Mark is starting to believe his story because he showed off his ability.**

**Stelra Etnae: Sabo's pissed :P Here it is!**

**azab: Glad you like!**

**Vergina-spva: Glad you like!**

**xxxWhite-Wing13xxx: Lol why? It's not confusing, is it? Because it's pretty straight-forward compared to some of my other fics. Glad you like :)**

**Diclonious57: Please don't leave reviews like that. Things will happen when they fit properly into the plot, not when people demand them. This fic isn't about Luffy so if you want him your best off finding another story to read.**

**Touch chick: Yes he is :D**

**The-Chibi-Master: Here's an update!**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: Lol I don't see how that was cute XD Just remember that the story is not about Luffy. **

**(Well... Yeah. I'm going to go cry over how vacant my brain is from the constant headaches I get from coughing constantly. If something I wrote in the chapter or AN doesn't make sense then please forgive me. I'm really out of it right now.)**


	9. The Rain and the Dark

**I have returned! And have brought an update! This chapter was hard to write, though... mostly because I kept accidentally making Luffy act like he usually does and had to rewrite it u_u; But I managed to finish it, so here it is! Enjoy! **

* * *

"…What is_ that_?" Ace asked as he stared blankly at the metal machine before him, eyes widening as he took in its strange features.

Sabo turned curiously to his character, only then remembering that he was from a different world. "A car," he said simply as he unlocked the driver's side and shifted onto the seat.

"Oh no. Oh no, I am _not_ going in there."

"Do you want to see Luffy?"

Ace scrunched up his face into a look that said "I hate you" before reluctantly taking his place in the passenger's side of the vehicle. He jumped when the engine started, growling at him like some feral beast. Everything about that contraption screamed 'death trap'. He wanted to get out. He would have been perfectly happy running to his brother. But no, Sabo had to force him into that 'car' with the threat of not seeing Luffy looming over his head. His body was screaming at him to get away but his mind resisted, continuously reminding him that he would reunite with his brother if he could pull it off.

Sabo glanced at the nervous pirate to his right, rolling his eyes as he got the car moving, slowly backing out of the parking space. "The great Fire Fist ace, scared of a motorized vehicle; how poetic."

"Shut up," the freckled man barked, clinging to the sides of his chair. "I've never seen one of these things, okay?"

"I've put plenty of similar machines in the story; this shouldn't be all that surprising."

"…Just shut up, you jerk."

* * *

The car skidded to a stop against the murky, wet pavement. Somewhere along the way the rain started up again, leading the puddles to grow and multiply—the streets to flood even further. As unpleasant as it was, they wouldn't go back. Staying in the car may have kept them dry, but it did nothing for their younger sibling trapped under the storm.

Quickly they scoured the crevices between every set of buildings, keeping close to the cemetery across the street. To their dismay there was no one—not even passersby. A discarded umbrella rested on the sidewalk, twirling with the wind, the only sign of movement in the area.

Ace growled his irritation as he was met with yet another alleyway. Raindrops sizzled as they met with his heated skin, steaming upon impact. He did his best to keep from bursting into flames in his anger, just in case someone was watching.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, then left the alley and began his search anew. For a moment he wondered where the blonde went and turned left and right searching for him. He scratched his head in confusion when he saw nothing.

The pirate was about to call out to his companion when he saw his familiar figure emerge from the space between two buildings. Cradled tightly to his chest was a male figure, completely drenched in rain. As Sabo wordlessly headed to the car, Ace caught a glimpse of the boy's face. He watched as the boy was gently lowered into the back seat of the car, strapped down and adjusted so that his unconscious form wouldn't fall.

"Lu—"

Before he could finish, a hand slapped hard against his mouth. He looked questioningly at Sabo who shook his head, brows furrowed. Then he remembered his agreement—not to make himself known without permission. As much as he wanted to talk to his brother's counterpart, he wasn't one to break promises. So he backed down and silently entered the vehicle.

The whole ride he stared back at the youth, worriedly looking over his condition. His white shirt and dark pants were stained red, sticking to his damaged skin. But what made Ace uncomfortable was that he looked exactly like the Luffy from his world, minus the scar under his eye. Seeing that Luffy in such a state was… strange. Sure he got injured a lot as a kid—he was the weakest of the brothers back then—but even when he was beat up and bloodied he still had the energy to move around. The Luffy laying there on the back seat looked… weak.

Shaking his head, Ace turned to look out the window. The longer he did so, the more he began to realize that they were not heading back to Sabo's flat.

"Where are we going?" Ace asked as he turned to the blonde.

"Luffy's place," he replied simply.

"Shouldn't we bring him to a doctor?"

Sabo sighed. "It's best if we don't."

"Why?"

The blonde glared at him from the corner of his eye. "You agreed not to ask questions, remember?"

* * *

Ace watched intently as the writer finished bandaging his little brother's legs, allowing him to rest comfortably on his bed. They changed his clothes as soon as they entered the apartment, allowing him to properly dry off. He had yet to wake, though.

"He should be fine now," Sabo stated as he straightened his back and stretched wide, removing the tension from his neck and shoulders.

The pirate leaned back against the wall, arms crossed and a look of concentration on his face. "You sure? Doesn't look so good to me," he declared, looking worriedly at the boy's pale skin.

"We'll keep an eye on him for now, but he should be—" The author's words were interrupted by an annoying buzzing sound. He reluctantly removed his phone from his pocket, checking it quickly before grimacing. Brow furrowed, he turned to Ace. "Can you watch him for a bit?"

Ace blinked. "…What?"

"I have something to take care of. So, can you?"

Gawking blankly at the blonde, he thought about that for a moment. Did… did that mean that he would be the one to take care of Luffy? So he could talk to him if he woke up, right? Those questions swirling within his skull, he nodded.

As Sabo left, he turned to his brother's counterpart, staring softly as he took in his features.

_"Let's be friends!"_

Sighing, he ran a hand through his unkempt, moist strands. Looking over the boy again, he remembered that wasn't the brother he knew. The more he thought, the more he tensed.

_"Ace!"_

Monkey D. Luffy… his brother… he wasn't going to see him again, was he?

_"Because there's no one else!"_

He lowered his head into his hands, letting out a shivering breath. Even if he looked like Luffy, he wasn't. He wouldn't remember growing up together or their promise to become pirates. He wasn't the one who went to Marineford like an idiot to rescue him. And no matter what he did, nothing would change that.

_"Being alone is much worse than getting hurt!"_

_So that's what you meant, huh, Lu?_

When he looked up from his palms he was shocked to see two large, owlish eyes staring back at him. He jumped to his feet, realizing that the boy was awake even through the dark, unlit room. He swallowed heavily, wondering what to do. After thinking more, he realized that the kid was a stranger; how would he react to seeing him? "H-hey," he greeted shakily with a wave.

Luffy gripped his blanket nervously, pulling it up to his neck as though it were his only means of protection. He squinted, trying to make out the man's features, but couldn't. How did he get in? And how did Luffy get home? "…Who are you?"

Ace froze with that. Even his voice was the same. And then hearing him ask that…

"A friend," he said simply, taking a step forward.

The boy sat up and backed into the wall, wincing as one of his bandaged wounds brushed up against its hard surface.

"O-oi…" Ace's voice faded as he looked over the trembling form on the bed, unsure of what to do. Luffy was never like that. Even when he was scared he tried to be brave. That boy, though… he was terrified.

Lowering his voice to a softer, gentle tone, Ace spoke again. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"

"How did you…?"

"Sabo let me in," he replied, taking another slow step.

Luffy raised his head at that, large eyes looking more clearly at the man as his trembling ceased. "Sabo?"

That was good—he started to calm down. "When we found you we brought you back here. He had to take care of something, so I stayed to look after you." Ace watched as the boy relaxed his shoulders, seemingly satisfied with that explanation. It felt weird talking to him like that, though—because he looked so much like his little brother. He pushed that thought away and stepped up to the bed to place a gentle hand on the other's head. "So you don't have to be scared, okay?"

He saw the boy nod through the darkness of the room. "When will Sabo be back?"

Ace thought for a moment. "Not sure. Soon, I think."

A silence fell between them and for a second Ace thought something might be wrong. After all, Luffy was always talking. Or, well, _his_ Luffy was always talking. Soon enough, though, he spoke up.

"Hey…"

"Hm?"

"…Are you the one that's staying with Sabo?"

"How'd you know?"

Luffy sat up fully, mindful of his injuries as he wrapped the blanket around his slender shoulders, feet sprawled out in front of him. "…Sabo bought meat. I asked him why, and he told me someone was staying at his house. That's you, right?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of… far from home… so he's helping me out."

Luffy sighed. "So that's it."

"What?"

"I just found it strange; Sabo never lets people stay with him when he's close to a deadline."

"That so?"

A bit of a smile tugged at the corners of the boy's mouth. "You're really lucky."

* * *

"Sabo! How long has it been?" the man asked cheerily.

The blonde entered the room with a scowl on his face, glaring at the other. "Not long enough," he grumbled as he dropped into the chair across from him.

"How cold," the other said, smiling.

"Just get to the point. Why'd you call me here?"

"It's about Luffy," he stated, grin fading into a more serious look. "I'm worried about him."

Sabo's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"He's been acting strange in class."

"Strange how?"

"He hasn't been paying attention. At all," he stated, emphasizing the last bit.

"And? He never liked school."

"But he at least listened."

There was a silent pause as Sabo contemplated that, folding his hands together as his elbows rested on the desk. "So you think…?"

He nodded.

The blonde gave a bit of a sigh. "I'll talk to him."

The man's smile returned. "Good, then."

"Is that all? Couldn't you have told me this on the phone?"

"I wanted some company," he stated casually as he bent down to open one of the desk drawers.

"…I hate you so much sometimes."

When his hand appeared within view once more he held an unopened bottle of liquor. "Shall we?"

* * *

Ace moved from the bed to the far end of the room. Padding around for the light switch in the dark proved annoying, but eventually he found it and the room brightened, allowing for him to see clearly. He and Sabo opted to keep it off because, at the time, the evening light seeping in through the windows was enough, not to mention they didn't want to wake the resting boy. Now that Luffy was awake keeping the lights off was more of a nuisance than anything.

He turned back and faced his brother's counterpart, looking him over carefully. As he thought about it, he saw that there were a few more physical differences between the boy and the one from his world. For one thing, that one was a lot scrawnier. While Luffy wasn't very big to begin with, he at least had _some_ muscle definition. His counterpart did not. He also seemed a bit smaller, but from what he heard from Sabo he was seventeen, just like his Luffy. Also, he was unscarred. So they held some differences, but it was still eerie looking at him, knowing that he wasn't who he appeared to be.

Ace tilted his head when he saw the look he was being given. He was about to ask what was wrong but the boy beat him to it.

"…Ace?"

* * *

**A/N: ...Two cliffies in a row? Yes, yes indeed. My other stories haven't been getting enough cliffhangers so I couldn't resist. Feel free to yell at me in your reviews!**

**To my lovelies~**

**Portgas D. Paula: You'll find out soon enough :) He's different in some ways, but the same in others. Thank you~**

**azab: You'll find out in the next chapter :) Probably.**

**I'm-a-barbie-gurl: Here's an update!**

**Guest: Lol I can't even imagine Luffy as a jerk XD Here's an update!**

**Diclonious57: I agree XD**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: He can tell Sabo BECAUSE he's an idiot :P Yep, they do. Ace doesn't know that yet, though. Yeah, it's... complicated u_u; This story takes after ****_Divide_**** in that respect. Lol Ace is conflicted on how to act XD**

**Perona-chwan: Well I had nothing to do while I was sick so I tried writing. Made a lot of mistakes though :P I agree with you. But both Ace and Sabo are stubborn, so...**

**TheRoseJr: ...Yes it is XD Sorry about that. I blame being sick at the time of writing it. I didn't proofread so I missed a lot of things like that. Lol I hope he doesn't kill someone. Last thing we need is for him to end up in prison :P**

**MsWildLuck: Now you know!**

**The-Chibi-Master564: You'll find out what happened soon :) Being sick sucks =_= But I'm better now so it's all good!**

** : Yep! "The plot thickens," as they say.**

**Son Goshen: Wait, what did Sabo say that indicated this? o.o I'm confused... He'll be alright thanks to those two :) Though you'll find out what happened a little later.**

**Kitsune Foxfire: I like ending things like that XD Lol I'm sure one of your theories is write, or at least close. The plot's fairly simple until you get to the end. I don't even know how I'm going to write that -_-; Lol honestly no one should trust Ace with a secret when his family is involved. I am better now, luckily :D **

**Starry Roses: I guess you'll just have to wait and find out :) Me? Show everything at once? Never! XD Cliffies are too much fun. Yep, Luffy's counterpart is a lot smarter :P**

**xxxWhite-Wing13xxx: Lol you didn't offend me. I was just kind of confused by your review. Lol mildly it did XD But Ace is acting differently than most people suspect, I think. I will!**

**teengens: Lol calm yourself XD My stories are full of cliffies, so be prepared for many more in the future :P**

**Stelra Etnae: Nope, next chapter though. Probably. Insteresting idea, I'll see what I can do XD Thank you!**

**CrispSalad: Here's the next chapter!**

**Douana: Good! I'll look forward to hearing from you in the future then ^^ And you're welcome! Glad you liked it ^^ Such a great story, isn't it?**

**Ashlyn-i: Well I'm glad you like the idea ^^ Yep. That's why I said as far as the pairing goes in this fic, I'm not sure if I'm going to do it. I'm just going to write and see what happens, you know? Ace's character inspiriation didn't come from Sabo being around Mark o.o I haven't actually mentioned where his inspiration came from. To be honest, you kind of confused me ^^; I never mentioned Ann in this story and don't plan to because, well, she doesn't fit. Ace wasn't a girl called Ann, I never even thought about that. (Well, not in this fic anyways.) Sorry that I can't reply to you properly, but I'm not sure what you're asking ^^;**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: It was either that or wait like 6 chapters to have Ace and Luffy meet :P **

**WeissDragon: Glad you're enjoying it :)**

**buslimpan: Yep, I'll touch on how that happened, but not until the end. Well Ace ending up in the water I could to XD That would be kind of funny. Them going to the One Piece world could be interesting too. I'll keep those in mind! ^^ **

**RexLink: I actually really like that bonus chapter idea. I think I might do it :)**

**Vergina-spva: And now you know ^^**

**(So there you have it! Please leave a review - feel free to yell at me for the cliffy - and I will get working on either ****_Resolve_**** or ****_Reverse_****, whichever I am inspired for. Until next time! Adieu~)**


	10. What's in a Name?

**...I'm having issues with ****_Reverse, _****so I took a break and worked on some other stories, hence the fast update. Hope you guys enjoy it! :D Though I think ****_Divide_****!Sabo is seeping into this story more than he should ._. Oh well. **

**Question: How many of you have exams now/coming up? Mine just ended last week. The stress is over :D ...But I think I'm going to take a summer course u_u *sigh* It never ends, does it?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Sad but true.**

* * *

"…Ace?"

There was a long, drawn-out silence between them. The pirate blinked a few times, registering what he just heard. "…Eh?" That… that Luffy just said his name, didn't he? He just called him 'Ace'. Did… did he know him? But that couldn't be right; Sabo never said anything about him having a counterpart as well. So… why? Or did he? Or… Or…

After gawking at the older for a while, Luffy broke eye contact and turned to face the sheets covering his legs. "Ah, sorry," he began, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "You just look a lot like him."

"Him? Who?" Ace stared blankly from his spot by the wall without a clue as to what the boy was talking about. Who did he look like?

"You know, Ace. Portgas D. Ace from Sabo's books," the youth elaborated, raising his arm to point across the room.

Ace followed his finger to a bookcase on the far wall. There he was met with a familiar sight; aligned neatly on the top two shelves was every volume of _One Piece_. Brow furrowed, he neared them to get a closer look. The bookcase was arranged in a fashion similar to the one at Sabo's place, with everything in proper order. In place of the notebooks that the author had were a series of sketchbooks lined on the third row, all dated with different years. He debated opening one up, but thought it best not to, seeing as Luffy saw him as a stranger.

The teen hopped out of bed and stumbled over to the pirate, fighting against the throbbing in his legs to make it there. He pulled a sketchbook from the shelf and leaned against the wall, taking the pressure off of his aching limbs, smiling slightly as he looked over the worn-out binding.

"What's that?" Ace asked as he loomed over him, curious of what was inside.

"Sabo made it," he stated simply, flipping through it casually, "when we were kids."

He seemed to find what he wanted because his smile widened and he spun it around to face the man, showing off a rather crude drawing of what appeared to be Ace when he was little. The line work was shaky and the page yellowed, no doubt proof of its age.

Ace took the book as it was offered to him, analyzing the picture further. He could make out his wavy hair and his freckles, as well as the all too familiar pipe he once used as a staff. It was kind of funny, seeing such bad drawing when compared to the character sketches the blonde recently made. He improved a lot. But why did he draw Ace when he was so young? When, exactly, did he 'create' him?

Luffy watched him flip through the pages filled with drawings of the three original _One Piece_ characters—Luffy and his brothers. He noticed the confusion on his face and thought it best to explain. "I used to have nightmares a lot."

Ace stopped searching through the drawings and looked up at his brother's counterpart.

Luffy took the book back and stared fondly at a drawing of the three. "I would wake up crying and Sabo would calm me down by telling me stories."

"Stories about… them?"

He nodded. "He made up all sorts of adventures and made us the two main characters. It was a lot of fun."

Well, Ace knew how Sabo got started on those books. But one thing was bothering him. He pointed to the drawing of him as a child, staring into the younger's eyes. "Then what about him?"

Luffy pondered that for a moment. "I'm not sure when Ace was added. Sabo mentioned him once but then decided to make him their brother because I liked him."

"That so?" He couldn't help but smile at that. Well at least he was liked by the real world's Luffy, right? He wondered how the boy would react if he knew he really _was_ the character from the story, not just a look-a-like.

"You look just like him," Luffy observed, gawking at him like he did when the lights first came on. "Maybe that's why…"

Ace looked at him strangely, wondering why he stopped. Before he could ask he heard the click of the front door unlocking.

Luffy's face brightened. "Sabo!" he shouted as he pulled away from the wall, immediately falling as one of his legs gave out. Ace rushed in and caught him, spotting a look of gratitude as he straightened him and circled his arm around the boy's torso, giving his battered body a means of support. "Thanks," he said a bit shyly, looking to the ground.

"Be careful, alright? You're hurt."

He nodded.

They headed out of the bedroom and into the hall, Ace becoming Luffy's crutch as they walked to the front door. It was only once he caught a glimpse of the blonde that the pirate remembered their earlier promise. And there he was, holding onto the boy he was ordered to stay away from. _Shit!_

Sabo looked up after kicking off his shoes, immediately sending the freckled man a hard glare once he assessed the situation. Apparently Ace couldn't hold himself back for half an hour. Why did he trust him, again? Why did he even bring him along? He should have left him back home, saved him some trouble.

Pushing aside the lecture he wanted to give the pirate into the furthest reaches of his mind, Sabo turned to the younger. Judging by his stance, he was having trouble standing. It probably hurt, seeing how beat up he was. Fortunately when he assessed him earlier he found no broken bones or fractures, but there was a generous amount of swelling on his calves and bruising that went from his ankles to his thighs. Naturally, walking would hurt. His legs were worse off than the rest of him, which consisted of discoloured flesh and a few gashes.

"Hey," he greeted, forcing a smile that contrasted greatly with his desire to cuss at his character. He didn't remember making him so irritating.

"Hey Sabo," Luffy returned with a smile, freeing himself of Ace's hold to fall into the blonde's arms, gripping tightly to his shirt. "Where were you?"

"Getting homework from your oh-so-loving professor," he explained, gripping him with one hand to help steady his weak form and holding up a bag of textbooks with the other, "since you'll be missing some classes."

Luffy groaned. "He gave me extra, didn't he?"

"Of course—said it's payback for not paying attention to his lectures," he began. "Got an explanation for that?"

The teen turned away at that, fixing his gaze on a particularly interesting spot on the floor.

Sighing, the blonde ruffled the younger's hair. "Fine, fine; I won't ask." He glanced over the boy's head to the pirate standing behind him. "For now," Sabo added, narrowing his eyes in a silent show of his irritation with the freckled hothead.

They motioned into the living room wordlessly. Sabo gently lowered Luffy onto the couch, mindful of his throbbing appendages. Dropping the bag of books on the floor, he slouched down beside the teen, releasing a large breath of exasperation. Resting his head on his hand, he looked to the pirate who stood awkwardly across the room, wondering what to do. No doubt Luffy noticed; how could he explain away the similarities?

"So," the injured youth started awkwardly, interrupting his brother's thoughts, "who… is he?" Pointing to Ace, his eyes never left the blonde.

Sabo looked between the two with tired eyes, pondering the right thing to say. He most definitely wasn't going to speak the truth—that he appeared in his living room out of nowhere—so he thought up something else. "I found him on the streets."

"_What_?" Ace shot, eyebrow twitching as he glared at the author.

"Isn't that right?" Sabo asked the pirate, shooting him a look that said "ruin this and you die".

Luffy looked between them with confusion. He knew he was missing something.

Catching the implied message the blonde was sending him, Ace backed down. He thought it best not to anger him any further, seeing as he was the one who fed him. Begrudgingly he nodded.

"So you're homeless?" Luffy asked, large eye's staring into the freckled man's. Concern filled his gaze.

Ace felt guilty for lying to the boy. But, well, he owed it to Sabo to keep it a secret, didn't he? He already told Marco everything. "Y-yeah," he stuttered. It was true, in a sense, since he was no longer in his world—or, well, the book. His home was with the Whitebeard pirates. But, well, they were gone. They didn't exist there. And even though Marco was real, he wasn't the same. So in a sense maybe he _was _homeless.

Luffy turned that concerned look to his brother. It seemed like they were having a silent conversation—one that Ace couldn't understand. "Sabo…"

The older sighed. "It's not like that, alright? I'm just helping him out."

"But…"

"He has nowhere else to go, Lu. Would you rather I let him die on the streets?"

Luffy let out an exasperated breath, shaking his head solemnly. "That's not what I meant. I just…" He scratched his head. "…I'm worried, alright?"

Sabo's face lightened and he ruffled the boy's hair, wearing a knowing smile. "Don't be," he said, picking himself off the couch and walking over to the kitchen entranceway. "I'll make you something to eat. Just… bother the homeless person or something."

"Oi!" Ace shouted to the blonde as he walked away, scowling at him from behind.

Luffy laughed a bit at that, causing the pirate to forget his irritation in favour of paying attention to the one whom so resembled his younger sibling. That was the first time he heard him laugh, which felt strange seeing as his Luffy was always so giggly and energetic. It relieved him.

"Sorry, Sabo can be mean sometimes," the teen stated, smile never leaving his face. "He doesn't mean anything by it."

Ace rubbed his temple. "Yeah," he replied. _I know._ He remembered. Though the blonde child from his past wasn't as bad as the one in the other room, he could recall a few snide comments he made back then. He couldn't say that, though. After all, Luffy thought they met recently. They did, sort of, but not really. It was all quite confusing.

Deciding a change of topic was in order, he scanned the wounds covering the boy's skin. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"Oh…" The teen's face fell and he broke eye contact, rubbing his arm sheepishly. "…I got jumped."

"Jumped?"

"Yeah—you know, attacked."

Ace furrowed his brow, worry evident on his face. If his personality was any indicator, that Luffy wasn't a fighter. He didn't look to be as strong as his _One Piece_ counterpart, nor as brave. "Why?"

"…We used to pick a lot of fights," Luffy explained quietly, looking anywhere but Ace. "My brother was the worst for it; he'd rob and challenge whoever he could find."

_Sabo_ did that? He definitely didn't seem the type. But, as the blonde said before, he and his _One Piece_ counterpart weren't the same. He noticed the author had a shorter fuse than the other, so it wasn't impossible. If he was like that before, what made him change? It didn't look like he fought recently, judging by muscle size, so he must have stopped a while ago.

"People still hold grudges, especially against him," Luffy continued, rubbing his arm nervously. "And since they can't get to him, they go after me."

Ace narrowed his eyes. That explained why Sabo wasn't surprised by the call earlier; it was probably a regular thing. He hoped he didn't get that injured every time. Monkey D. Luffy could put up with injuries like that, but not the kid. He didn't seem fit for fights.

Clearly uncomfortable with the topic, Luffy decided to ask something himself. "So what's your name?"

_Shit. Shit shit shit!_

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't think up a name on the spot; Ace didn't work well under pressure! Unless it was a battle, of course, and it was far from that. _Think! Think! Think!_ "T-thatch," he replied shakily. _No, stupid!_

Luffy's eyebrows scrunched up when he heard that. He likely recognized the name. Though the installment detailing the Whitebeard commander wasn't released to the public, he was sure Sabo would have mentioned him to his brother, of all people. "You don't look like a 'Thatch'," the teen noted.

"Heh, yeah…" Ace swallowed heavily, wondering how he could remedy the situation. "You said I looked like that character from Sabo's book, right?"

He nodded reluctantly.

"Then just call me Ace."

"But…"

"It suits me more, right?"

Again, Luffy gave a hesitant nod. "Alright, then…"

Sabo heard the whole thing from the kitchen and rolled his eyes. _What an idiot._

* * *

**A/N: So now you get a tiny, tiny looked into the brothers' past. You'll get to find out more later, too. But that can wait. Anyways, how was it? What you expected? Good? Bad?**

**To my lovelies~**

**xxxWhite-Wing13xxx: I was going to make it longer but I didn't see a point, you know? Last names? Well... you'll see XD **

**Kitsune Foxfire: Well at least there isn't a cliffy this time XD Yeah, this Luffy is a lot jumpier. Plus is does help when he was just beat up and left alone in some alley in the rain, then wakes up to see some strange guy through the darkness of his room :P Lol yes, let's ignore how bad Ace can actually be for the sake of pity XD Yeah, Sabo made a bad move with that one. Guess he doesn't match up to ****_Divide_****!Sabo in terms of thinking things through.**

**Stelra Etnae: Isn't it? XD Honestly Ace isn't holding up too well with the changes. Let's hope he cacn get used to it! Shanks? Maybe, maybe not :P You'll just have to wait and see. I'm ALWAYS evil :D This chapter was full of answers. And ambiguity. But, well, couldn't give you answers without giving you more questions, right? **

**Sully-van: Hehe I love me some cliffies. You'll have to wait and find out! Yep, and you'll just get to see more differences as time goes on. And, well, similarities too.**

**Portgas D. Paula: Well it's a good thing I updated fast then :D **

**StrawberryGirlKairi: Yep, Luffy read ****_One_**** Piece! Though it's more than that, as you know by this chapter. A lot of people seem to think it's Shanks. Guess you'll just have to wait and find out :P Hehe that's what the cliffies are for!**

**mrsfirefist: Now you know :D**

**buslimpan: Well, now you know why it's a common thing. Hope it was as fun as you expected! Thank you~**

**The-Chibi-Master564: What a long review XD I like it! But since you asked me to reply in a PM I already did, so nothing for me to write here.**

**azab: You'll just have to see if it's Shanks later on in the story :P**

**Starry Roses: Lol what counterpart? As stated above, Luffy recognised him from his brother's books and stories :) What was your theory?**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: I love my cliffies! :D I think you're the 4th person to guess him as Shanks. We'll just have to see, won't we? XD Yep, love torturing Ace. It's a lot of fun. Relieves stress, too :P And if you ask most fanfiction writers they'll say that torturing characters is their way of showing that they like them hehe. Now that you mention it, I kind of screw him over in most of my stories, don't I? Glad you like :)**

**SaladHunter: One thing you need to know about me it that I troll A LOT in my stories :P I had fun with the car scene. I thought it up and just had to do it. I think that's now 5 guesses for Shanks. We'll see :) Glad you liked it!**

**iinvisible: So happy you're enjoying it! Hope you liked their little talk this chapter ^^**

**Obitez: You're the 6th person to guess that XD Glad you like!**

**Son Goshen: Yep, a fight. Aaaand that's guess number 6 for Shanks. You'll just have to wait and see, though :P Hehe yeah, Ace can be such an idiot. He causes more problems than he solves, I swear. Especially in this story and ****_Divide_****. But that's what makes him fun to write!**

**teengens: And now you know :D**

**Ashlyn-i: Lol don't worry I won't. I actually had a story idea (one of a few hundred) where Ace goes to an alternate reality where his counterpart was female, but I don't think I'll ever write it. It's way too underdeveloped and doesn't have much of a plot. I have this whole story planned out though so I don't think anyone could inflence me at this point XD Glad you're enjoying it!**

**Vergina-spva: I will stop wherever I wish! XD Really happy to hear you like it ^^ As you wished, I updated only half a week later, which is much faster than usual!**

**MeatAndWatermelons: Glad you like! Here's an update!**

**spoons-are-evil: Lol yep. Yeah, he is. He's also a lot more thoughtful and contemplative. And mature. And... well, you'll understand more as the story goes on. Now you know :) I commend you for being the only person who guessed someone other than Shanks! But you'll have to wait for an answer :P It is true that I said ther counterparts are different, but sometimes it's more than just a little ;) Yep, that was Luffy. Hopefully this chapter cleared some things up ^^**

**(Well, it's 4:51am so I'm going to go eat a sandwich and go to bed. I'll see you all at the next update, which will HOPEFULLY be ****_Reverse_****. No promises, though. Adieu~)**


	11. Doubts

**So here it is! I got a little too immersed in writing my other stuff hehe... And trying to write ****_Skip_****. Don't know why I'm having so much trouble with it this time around... Anyways, review? Please? Or just read and enjoy! :D** **Also, I've got two new fics you guys can read if you'd like. The first is an amnesia story called ****_Within_**** and the most recent one is called ****_Flame and Phoenix_**** which depicts what happens when a phoenix dies.**

**Also, we're officially over 200 reviews! :D Thank you guys so much for your support!**

**Question: Do you like clichés? Why or why not?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece! Ace would be alive if I did! T^T**

* * *

"You have one of those things, too?" Ace questioned from his spot on the couch as he watched the injured boy tap away at the device in his lap. He'd been using it ever since dinner ended and the pirate couldn't help but be curious. Sabo used one of those things daily but he never asked much about it. What was with the strange machines in that world? He hated not knowing about them—it took him until two days ago to figure out the television.

Luffy paused and looked up from the screen, staring with a bit of surprise at the man on the other couch. "A laptop?"

"…Yeah, that." So that's what it was called.

The surprise vanished from his face, replaced with a soft smile. "Sabo bought it for me when I got accepted into university."

Ace was a bit surprised by his expression. It reminded him of his Luffy, the way he grinned like he did. But he was satisfied. It seemed that while he didn't exist in reality, Sabo was able to take care of their brother and keep him happy. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. "That so?"

Luffy nodded and his face sagged.

The pirate raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"There's too much work…"

Ace was about to ask him to elaborate when he moaned his frustrations.

"Stupid Lawrence! It doesn't end! Every time I finish one essay I have another! It's like he wants me to write a whole thesis even though I'm only in my first year!"

Ace blinked. Well, he never expected an outburst like that from the kid—not with how timid he was only hours before when they were introduced. It didn't help that he had no idea what he was talking about, either. He decided it best to stay silent so as to not make a fool out of himself. He was supposed to pretend he was from that world, right? Then wouldn't it be suspicious if he kept asking questions?

"You only have yourself to blame, Lu," came a calm voice from the kitchen. Sabo was in there washing dishes but it seemed he could hear everything that was said. Ace would have to be careful not to ask anything the blonde wouldn't want him to, for fear of receiving a lecture like the one he just knew he was going to receive when they got back home.

…When did he start calling Sabo's flat his home?

"It's only payback for you not paying attention in class," Sabo continued. "Which brings up the question of what was so interesting you stopped taking notes—care to explain?"

Luffy lowered his head into a bow, staring into his lap. "…Can we not?"

They heard a sigh come from the kitchen. "You're going to have to tell me eventually."

"…I know."

* * *

Luffy headed to bed first, giving the older two some time alone. They were spending the night there to keep an eye on the boy, just to make sure he would be okay. It was Sabo's idea—seemed like he worried a little more than he cared to admit.

The night found the pair in the kitchen, warm cups of tea in hand. Ace was sitting at the table, staring absently into his drink while Sabo leaned against the counter, taking small sips.

"So?" Sabo pressed, glancing at the pirate in front of him.

"What?"

"What do you think?"

"It tastes like piss."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "You drank sake at age ten yet you can't handle some bitter tea?" He shook his head. "I meant about Luffy," he elaborated.

Ace took a quick look at the other then returned to staring at his reflection. What could he say? The kid was different. He wasn't used to being around a Luffy that was so calm. And dinner showed just how alien that boy was to him; he only ate one serving and almost no meat, which was completely unlike his _One Piece_ counterpart. And he had _manners_!_ Luffy _had manners! That was… just too bizarre to witness. "…I'm not sure."

"I see," Sabo replied simply.

"He's different, but he's still my little brother."

Ace swore he saw the faintest hint of a smile on the blonde's face.

Drinking the last of his tea, Sabo motioned over to the teapot and poured himself some more, allowing the aroma to waft his nose. "You're his favourite character."

"Huh?"

The writer carried his cup to the table and took a seat across from the pirate, leaning forward to rest on his elbows. "He admires you." There was a short pause. "When he found out you weren't going to be in the first book he got really upset. It was his idea that I introduce you in Alabasta, you know."

Ace blinked. "Really?" The boy said he liked the character of Ace, but he didn't know he liked him that much. It made him feel a little proud—and embarrassed.

Sabo nodded. "Which is why you have to start being careful. I have no doubt that he's noticed the similarities."

Thinking back to when Luffy first woke up, the freckled youth realized he was right. As soon as the lights came on he said his name. That was only when they first met. After spending a few hours together, how many other similarities did he come across? He didn't appreciate the clear lack of trust the blonde had for him, though. "I was being careful."

Sabo gave him a look that said 'you can't be serious'. He dropped his head into his palm, exasperation sweeping across his frame. "You said your name was Thatch, you idiot."

"So?"

"So he already knows you're lying."

Ace blinked. He knew Luffy was likely to be skeptical because he held the same name as a _One Piece_ character, but to flat-out know he was lying? No, Luffy wasn't that smart. He was a bit on the slow side, actually. But… that was only the little brother he remembered, not the one who existed in reality. It was clear they were two very different people, no matter how much they looked alike. He would notice. He _did_ notice. "Then…"

"He knows we're hiding something. Your little conversation with him was far more telling than it should have been."

The pirate scowled, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms. "Why do we have to hide it from him anyways? I don't like lying to him." He felt guilty. They were brothers—shared everything—so why did he have to pretend he was someone else? Marco believed him, so wouldn't Luffy?

Sabo sighed. "I know how you feel, Ace, but we can't. Just trust me on this, alright?"

They stared at each other. Ace was the first to break eye contact, opting to once more look into the black liquid cooling in his cup. "…Fine."

Tension lifted from Sabo's shoulders and his features softened into a more sympathetic look. "Sorry, Ace."

* * *

Luffy quietly stalked out of his room, down the hall and to the living room. Ace was still asleep, sprawled across the couch with one leg sweeping across the floor. He looked tired. How late did they stay up the night before?

Careful not to strain his limbs, the boy made his way into the kitchen. As expected, he found his brother sitting at the table, reading the paper. It was a bit nostalgic; he was met with the same sight every day when they lived together. Somehow the author was always the first to rise, no matter how late he went to bed.

The blonde looked up at him and smiled. "Finally awake?"

Luffy grinned back, taking his place next to the older man. "Mostly," he answered, reaching over to steal a piece of toast on his brother's plate. Sabo didn't say anything, simply allowing him to take whatever he wished. "What time did you turn in?"

"I haven't," he replied simply, flipping the page of the newspaper.

Luffy blinked. "You've been up all night?"

"More or less," he confirmed.

The youth's brows knitted together in concern. "You should take better care of yourself."

"This coming from the boy who was left unconscious in a back alley," Sabo stated. "I told you to be careful."

"It's not my fault they're after me…"

After a long pause, Sabo reached over and patted the boy's head. "Sorry," he apologised, gently caressing his strands.

Luffy shook his head. "It's not your fault, either."

The blonde pulled away once more and turned to glance out the window. "Sometimes I wonder," he said, more to himself than anyone. "We'll be leaving when he wakes up."

When he heard that, Luffy pouted. "But we haven't seen each other in so long…"

"It hasn't even been a week, Lu."

"I miss you, though." He gave a moment to think before shifting the subject to one he'd rather talk about. "And I don't trust him."

"Ace?"

"He's lying, Sabo. How can you trust him when he won't even tell us his real name?" the youth asked, eyes hard and serious, contrasting his usual friendly expression. "What if he's lying about other things? What if he's just using you or—"

"Luffy," Sabo interrupted, "listen to me." He waited for his brother to nod before continuing. "I know how you feel. Really, I get it. It's hard not to think that after… But believe me when I say that he really has nowhere else to go. Consider me his lifeline."

Luffy quietly conceded, backing down and allowing his brother to believe whatever he wanted. He couldn't help but feel that Sabo was making a big mistake. A man showed up, homeless and looking identical to a character from his book—didn't seem too coincidental, did it? But Sabo wasn't naïve—he likely noticed the same abnormalities in the man's story—so why was he still going along with it? Was it really just out of pity? Was he being sentimental? Back then, weren't they helped the same way? Was that why?

"Just be careful, okay?"

The older smiled. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine."

"You better—"

Luffy was interrupted but an annoying ringing. His brother searched his pockets, pulling out his cell phone. Groaning, the blonde held it up to his ear. As he did so, Ace shuffled into the room, yawning and stretching as he headed over to the table.

"What do you want?" Sabo asked sharply, annoyance clear on his face. Luffy recognized that tone and immediately knew who he was talking to. "The manuscript? Yeah, it's done. I sent… _Shit_. No, I forgot. Lu had a… Well can't it wait?"

As the blonde growled into the phone he poured Ace and Luffy some coffee. The freckled man glared at it, then at Luffy's cup. Just what was going through his head? He looked baffled that the boy was drinking coffee. What was with that guy?

Ignoring the look he was being giving, he turned to his brother. "Is it Dad?"

Ace choked on his coffee when he heard that.

The author nodded. "It's done, alright? I'll send it to you when I… Can't you do that later? What?" Sabo glanced over at Ace curiously. "Yeah, he's here. Why?" There was a pause. "Yeah, sure," he answered with a sigh.

The other two just stared at him blankly as he motioned for Ace to take the phone.

"Mark wants you," Sabo explained.

Nodding, the pirate took the phone. "Hey," he greeted, leaning back in his chair.

_"Make sure to let me in when I go to pick up the manuscript, alright?"_ Luffy was close enough to hear what his father was saying, but it only left him more confused.

"Hm? Yeah, sure, but why?"

_"I have a feeling Sabo's going to lock me out."_

Ace looked to the blonde in question. "Probably," he agreed. "So you're still coming?"

_"I promised, didn't I?"_

The freckled man smiled. "That's the M—" He stopped and looked at Luffy, seemingly changing what he was going to say. "—Mark I know." He cringed when he said that, almost like he died a little inside.

The university student tuned out the last bit of their conversation, eyes narrowing as he thought over what he just heard. Apparently his adoptive father was already acquainted with Sabo's guest. The more he knew about that guy, the more suspicious he seemed. There was something he was missing, but what? Whatever it was, he didn't like it.

_Be careful, Sabo._

* * *

**A/N: So, thoughts? Opinions? Not much happened as far as actions go, but I revealed quite a bit through dialogue so hopefully this'll tide you over until the next chapter, which I guarantee most of you will enjoy for one reason or another :D Thanks for reading~ Also! If any of you like MarcoAce you should check out ****_Nightmare of Love_**** by ThePhobiaPhoebe. I just saw that she updated while writing this so I thought I'd recommend it to you :D**

**To my lovelies~**

**Neko-VongolaPrimo: I'm just glad you review at all ^^ It's nice hearing from you again! Honestly, Ace is just digging his own grave...**

**Portgas D. Paula: Glad you do XD**

**xxxWhite-Wing13xxx: I will :)**

**Starry Roses: You'll fine out later on ;) It's actually pretty important to the plot.**

**buslimpan: The consequences will be interesting, I'll say that. He should have listened to Sabo :P Don't worry, Ace will be lectured! I promise! Sabo is amazing. I fell in love with him when I first saw him in the anime. He's just so great. You can do it! Though by now you're probably almost done hehe...**

**StrawberryGirlKairi: Ace is VERY special. Interesting thought. Would he take the fall for their counterparts? Well one way or another you'll find out later in the story ;) Sabo's always mad at Ace, honestly. But not enough to kick him out. He'd feel too guilty.**

**CaptainSanchez: Yep. Ace really messed up on the name. Oh well. Here's an update~**

**teengens: Hehe there's more to the story than that my friend ;) Hope you enjoyed this update~**

**person: Really happy you like it ^^**

**I'm-a-barbie-gurl: Yeah, you gotta feel a bit bad for him in this story :/**

**Vergina-spva: You're welcome! Sorry this update was kinda slow hehe... That's the goal!**

**Son Goshen: You are correct. But I'm not going to clear up the confusion any time soon :P Yeah, Ace really messed up on the name part... he's kind of screwed because of it ^^;**

**Diclonious57: Yes they do :D**

**13-BlackCat-2020: Trust me, there will be plenty of parts where Ace gets surprised by what Luffy does XD The coffee part in this chapter was just a small part of it. I'm looking forward to writing about the brothers' pasts, but sadly it'll be a while. Don't want to rush into it, you know? And what will happen to Ace... I can't say anything XD**

**azab: Glad you like!**

**Kitsune Foxfire: Exactly -_-; Stupid Ace... Oh... my... god... you just gave me an idea for a bonus XD Sabo meets Divide!Sabo... it'll be epic! And extremely messed up. But now I totally want to do it... You're going to have a lot more questions before the big reveal hehe.**

**mad100141: There are a few more you'll meet along the way ;) I agree! I spin-off about Ace would be great. Sadly it doesn't seem Oda hold the same feelings as Sabo u_u There's an interesting reason behind why Sabo killed himself off. You'll get little bits of it throughout the story. But I will say it's not because of self-hate or bullying or Mark ^^ Well you guys have seen more of him, it's just most people didn't realize it was him hehe.**

**Stelra Etnae: You're absolutely correct XD Hehe gotta love Sabo! Really happy you enjoyed it! Here's an update~**

**The-Chibi-Master564: You're welcome~ It's okay, you don't have to review right away or anything XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**

**spoons-are-evil: We'll just have to see ;) Yep, he's shy and he's also very distrustful. But more on that later! Hehe glad you like. I was worried people wouldn't like this fic because most of the characters have altered personalities. Luffy's legs are just hurt because of being beaten, nothing permanent. don't worry! :) Yes he is! He dug his own grave with that crappy lie.**

**RexLink: Yeah, you wouldn't expect Sabo to be aa problem child, would you? Glad you like ^^**

**Awakened-Masterpiece: A lot of people had that reaction XD**

**(Hope you all enjoyed this update! For any ****_Skip_**** readers, I promise that I'm trying to get it written. I'm just having so many problems getting it out T^T But I'll do my best to have it done by Sunday! In the meantime, feel free to try out my new fics listed above! Adieu~)**


	12. Harsh Reality

**Sorry for the delay on some of my fics! Been very interested in some of my newer ones hehe... and my friends stuck to me like glue this week so I didn't have much time to write... But here you go! I'm also halfway through ****_Skip_****'s next chapter so expect that soon, too. Reverse... issues u_u But I'm trying, at least. And this chapter's a little longer than usual. Just a little. I hope you'll find it... interesting ;)**

**Question: Are you good or bad at making decisions? I'm horrible. Absolutely horrible.**

**Disclaimer: While I own One Piece merchandise, I do not own the rights to it or any of the characters. We can at least dream T^T**

* * *

They didn't go home like Sabo said. As much as Ace wanted to—to see Marco again—they headed in the opposite direction. What's worse was that they weren't in that stupid monstrosity the blonde owned, but what he called a 'taxi'. Why? Well he didn't pay much attention to the explanation but, from what he heard, Sabo had a few drinks with Luffy's teacher when he went to pick up his homework and the man insisted he not drive home. So his car was stuck at the university. And they had to pick it up.

Ace's eyebrow twitched as he gripped the seat. He hated cars. He hated them _so_ much. The worst part was watching the trees and buildings zip by the window. It wasn't at all like sailing the ocean—_that_ he loved. He hoped the driver knew what the hell he was doing because he really didn't feel like dying… again.

As the car hit a bump and disoriented him further, Ace thought back to his last memories from before he arrived in 'reality'. He didn't remember dying, not at all. The platform was what he recalled—watching as his siblings desperately fought to save him, many not making it out of the fray. They fought for him. They died for him. He hated it—hated that their blood was on his hands. But… he was happy, too. Somehow he couldn't help but feel…

And then Luffy reached him. He was at his side for the first time since the battle began and the cuffs came off. Immediately he felt his ability return, the fire surging through his body and filling him with renewed energy. Despite how complacent he was before—uncaring of life or death—he was ecstatic. He didn't want his life to end. He wanted to go back with his crew, the people who cared for him, and continue to sail. He wanted to see Luffy reach his dream of becoming Pirate King—something he'd given up on long ago. He didn't need the title. He found what he really wanted. Ace had a family.

But…

When he leapt from the platform in a blazing inferno, fully intent on joining the war and leaving victorious, he never touched the ground—not the ground he planned to, a least. Somehow he found himself landing ungracefully on the hardwood floor of a really strange place. It turned out to be Sabo's flat. He wasn't sure how, exactly, he got there, though.

A sudden stop pulled Ace away from his thoughts as he jerked forward, looking around to see what was going on. It took only a short glance out the window for him to realize they'd arrived. Swinging the back door open, he stepped out of the metal deathtrap and gawked at the buildings before him. They were large, towering high above with signs in front of each, labeling them. There weren't many people around. Sabo said there wouldn't be—something about it being a holiday of some sort. He didn't really care, though. He was more focused on the place rather than its occupants. So that was where Luffy spent most of his time, huh?

Sabo paid the driver and quickly strutted up to one of the buildings, motioning for his companion to do the same.

Ace blinked but quickly followed. "Aren't we going to your car?"

"First we have to pay someone a visit." When he saw the curious look the fire user gave him, he decided to give a better answer. "He took my keys."

"Oh," Ace noised simply.

The pair remained silent as they entered one of the buildings, passing through hall after hall, each looking identical to the last, until they stopped at a door. The plaque read, in stark-white lettering, _T. Lawrence._

Ace eyed the plaque for a moment, noting that Luffy mentioned that name the night before. Apparently the one torturing his little brother with so much 'work' was the resident of that room. He had to admit that he was curious, if only a little.

Sabo wasted no time in pushing forward and turning the knob, promptly entering the room without warning. Judging by his indifferent expression, he did that often. Ace just shrugged it off and followed behind, taking in the changing surroundings. Darkly lit halls shifted to a white room with gray furniture. Decorating the walls were various framed awards of some kind or another—he didn't pay them much mind.

At the far wall was an L-shaped metallic desk with large windows behind it, silhouetting the one sitting there in dark shades that contrasted well with the scenery of the outside. Studying the man's tanned skin, dark hair and gray eyes, Ace blinked. He recognized him, just barely. The white suit he wore didn't match the appearance he remembered, though. It looked eerily out of place.

"Ah, Sabo. So you've returned," he stated, small grin playing on his lips. "Care for a drink?"

The blonde stepped forward, placing a firm hand on the desk as he leaned on it and closer to the reclining professor. "I'll have to decline if I want my keys returned, won't I?"

"That you will."

"Then you have your answer."

After a pause between the two, Lawrence closed his eyes and huffed a disappointed sigh. "Very well, then. You know, it wouldn't hurt to visit me on personal grounds once in a while."

Sabo righted himself once more, straightening his back and crossing his arms. "As enticing as that offer is, I'll have to decline. Mark is expecting the manuscript, not to mention there are—" he glanced at Ace, "—some things I have to straighten out."

It was only then that the professor noted the one standing behind his guest. His eyes lingered over the stranger as he regarded him, moving to once more stare at his associate after his assessment was complete. "And who's your little friend?"

Ace looked to his creator-turned-brother curiously, wondering what he would say. Last time he was asked something like that, he claimed he was someone living on the streets. The pirate didn't really appreciate that—though the statement would be true were it not for Sabo taking him in.

The blonde was quiet as he thought though the answer seemed to come to him quickly. "He's family."

Hearing that, Ace's eyes widened. Sabo hadn't regarded him as that since the night they declared themselves brothers. In all honesty, the pirate thought he said that merely to quell his emotionally-ill self. Perhaps that wasn't the case. Even if it was, the freckled youth wouldn't have been able to see Sabo as anything other than his brother—not after all of those memories he obtained that night.

"Family, huh?" the professor mused. "It's rare for you to use that word lest you're talking about your dear younger brother." Fingers interlocked with one another, Lawrence's mischievous grin softened into a more relaxed smile. "I won't keep you, then."

The man made a move to separate his hands and placed them on the armrests of his chair. It was only then that Ace noticed some peculiarities about what the teacher was sitting on. He furrowed his brows, trying to think of where he saw something like that before, but he got his answer when the man's hand glided about the controller, turning the chair around and leaving the desk from the space on the left side. His actions revealed the wheeled device for what it was as the professor moved to a cabinet that rested against the adjoining wall, unlocking one of the drawers and opening it to search through a myriad of things within.

Ace gaped as he recalled the man's _One Piece_ counterpart, mauling over what little information he had on the rookie. Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart pirates and known throughout the first half of the Grand Line as the Surgeon of Death, was a formidable opponent. He was sharp, cunning, a brilliant fighter and an excellent medical practitioner. The commander knew all of that without ever meeting the man. Through all of the rumors and news of his exploits, he never heard anything about the man being unable to walk.

Retrieving a ring of keys from the drawer, Lawrence closed it and threw the pieces of metal Sabo's way. The blonde caught it and analyzed it, assuring it was the correct set. "Thanks."

"I don't need your gratitude, but I would like to know if you've talked with Luffy."

"If you're wondering what upset him, he didn't say." There was a pause, as though he was debating on whether or not he should continue. "But I think I know what's wrong. If I'm right, he'll be back to normal in a few weeks."

"I'll trust your judgement, then." He glanced at Ace, noting the blank expression on his face but decidedly ignoring it. "Take care. And stop by once in a while. It gets dreadfully boring, dealing with paperwork all day."

Sabo allowed a sated grin to pass his lips. "Fine, I'll do that." With those words, the writer looked at Ace and motioned for him to follow as he headed out of the room, leaving the paraplegic behind. They passed through corridor after corridor, returning to the building's entrance and passing buildings on the way to the parking lot. Ace remained silent until they reached the car and Sabo began sifting through the keys, looking for the one to his monstrous automobile.

"That was…"

"Trafalgar Law's counterpart, yes," the older confirmed, shoving the key into the lock and turning it, met with a _click_. Opening the passenger's side door, Sabo turned to his brother. "You're curious, I take it."

"A little," the pirate admitted, slipping into the car before the door shut. He watched as the blonde walked around to the other side and entered, placing both hands firmly on the wheel.

"He and I were roommates many years ago," the writer explained as he started the car. Ace didn't even notice, too interested in the story he was being told. "Law was studying to become a surgeon—I'm sure you've figured that out by now—but he was in an accident and became fully paralyzed from the waist down." Sabo's voice went quiet, almost contemplative. It seemed it bothered him to talk about.

"So he became a teacher, then?"

The writer glanced at him with narrowed eyes before he turned around and backed out of the parking spot. Once more he faced the windshield and changed gears as he made his way onto the road. "Being disabled doesn't automatically mean you can't be a doctor, but it can be challenging," Sabo stated as he turned onto the road. Again his features softened and, while he was focused enough to drive safely, he seemed to be somewhere else—deep within his own thoughts. "He had to give up on martial arts and with so many people telling him he couldn't break into the medical field, he was worn down. So, he gave them what they wanted: compliance."

Ace looked forward, away from the blonde driver, and focused on the passing cars and buildings, paying little attention to the metal deathtrap as he thought. He'd never met the man before then but he was still able to feel for him. It appeared his empathy only ran so deep, though, because he couldn't fathom resolving yourself to never accomplishing your goal so easily. If it mattered so much, shouldn't he have fought harder? "He gave up that easily?"

Sabo came to a dead stop at a red light and glared over at the youth, causing him to flinch. He looked like he was about to bludgeon the pirate to death before his expression calmed once more, leaving him something akin to bitter exhaustion. "It's not that simple, Ace. We're not like you."

The youth blinked. "…What do you mean?"

His brother sighed. "The world in my stories isn't like reality. Trying doesn't always mean you'll succeed and pushing yourself beyond your limits will only cause problems in the end. Life here isn't as simple as what you're used to."

The light changed and the car pulled forward once more, leaving the conversation dead and gone. Ace thought that maybe he was starting to understand, but not everything. He needed more answers before he could confidently grasp what the other was trying to say. He knew things in reality were much more complex than what he was used to—he'd experienced plenty of that since his arrival—but it still didn't make sense to him that someone would give up so easily, especially the rookie. From what he gathered, the man was confident and prideful and rather tenacious, if he was anything like the pirate from within the book. Based on first appearance, he still held some of those qualities that made a name for him in the Grand Line. Yet he resigned himself to giving up on his dream. Why? Despite his curiosity, he said nothing. It didn't look like Sabo wanted to explain any more.

The blonde yawned. "Probably shouldn't be driving when I haven't slept in over twenty-four hours," he mumbled, more to himself than anything.

Ace's face turned a pallid white and his eyes widened as he took in those words. "O-oi!" He really, _really_ didn't feel like dying again.

* * *

_Watching over the stiff, frustrated youth lying on the hospital bed, Sabo clenched his jaw. He listened to the strangled whimpers of his roommate as he tried to remain silent, holding back the urge to scream and cry as he took in the new information. He couldn't help but be furious with the doctor who bluntly explained the medical student's new disability and the burdens that went with it immediately after the patient woke, not bothering to give him time to adjust to the lack of feeling below his waist of the aching in his arms and torso from skin damaged in the collision._

_"Damn it…" he breathed out in a low, weak voice, fisting the bed sheets as he tried to contain himself. His left arm lifted into the air, his hand coming to shield his eyes from view. "Damn it!" His voice cracked as strangled sobs rose out of his throat._

_Silently Sabo stood there and watched his friend quietly break down in front of him, allowing him all the space and time he needed. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes as though to give the patient some sort of privacy, listening as his low curses and trembling voice filled the room._

_The night continued on with only those two in the room, no other visitors arriving to comfort the student as the world came crashing down around him._

* * *

**A/N: :D Happiness and sunshine, people. But yeah, been planning out this scene since I first mentioned Law-err... Lawrence... because, well, it fits into a certain theme of the story and plays an important role in the past that I'm too much of a troll to reveal just yet. We'll get there eventually ;) Oh and ****_To Be a Boy _****is finished, for anyone interested. Oh, and I have a video of me inking a drawing of Ann from that story so feel free to check my Tumblr or YouTube to see it! :D That story came out just before this one so as you can imagine we're close... no we're not. Don't worry, got a while to go for this one. But yeah, feel free to drop a review ^^**

**To my lovelies~**

**Kitsune Foxfire: I will! Seriously! I just need to get far enough into both of the stories so that I can add a few things XD I know. I try XD**

**TegzTsinelas: Well know you know! Yes, yes he is. Hehe that was my favourite part when I was visualizing the chapter XD**

**BluePhoenix0101: Yes :) Now you know. I love it. It's just great XD **

**Awakened-Masterpiece: Exactly! Stupid Ace... And yeah, Sabo really needs to take better care of himself :/**

**buslimpan: Hehe yes it will be, I assure you I'll do my best to keep it entertaining ^^ Yep. That goes for Mark and Lawrence, too, but you'll see those differences more later on. Glad you like :)**

**Vergina-spva: And now you'll have questions about Law, too! :D I'm such a jerk. Here it is ^^**

**spoons-are-evil: Isn't it?! You're right, it's Law~ You'll see more of him later and can decide whether or not he's "not too bad" then :P Oh god, that would be epic! I should do something with that, like a crack bonus or something XD Actually in ****_Divide_**** later on Sabo is going to make something less threatening than a pencil into a weapon ._. So yeah. It's the same for me. Though my clichés end up pretty predictable u_u;**

**teengens: Really happy to hear you're enjoying it ^^**

**WeissDragon: Mark will be making his return next chapter! :)**

**azab: No, remember the end of chapter 10 Ace told Luffy to call him 'Ace' ^^**

**Son Goshen: Yep, lots smarter. It's kind of scary, isn't it? I will!**

**The-Chibi-Master564: Marco (yes, I know, Mark's just weird isn't it?) will be making his return next chapter :)**

**person: Guess you'll have to wait and find out ;)**

**sakura240: Isn't it? XD Awe, so happy to hear you're liking it!**

**hieveryone101: Sorry, got a while to go. I don't want to leave it with any lose ends, you know? But I promise I will finish it, just not anytime soon.**

**Aimiko: Here's another! As for Ace and Luffy, it may be a while. Luffy doesn't trust him, after all.**

**mwahahaha: Lol I've interpreted it as random gibberish XD Hope you like the fic!**

**Guest: As stated in later author's notes, I'm just going to write and go with whatever pairing forms, if any, be it SaboAce, SaboLaw ect. Though there will definitely not be any form of AceLu for this particular fic. If you don't like whatever pairing may occur, I'm sorry :( But this isn't a romance fic either way so even if there does end up being a couple it's not going to play a huge role in the plot so hopefully it won't bother you. Though I'm curious, what is it about SaboAce that you don't like? There are certain couples I don't like for various reasons and I'm just wondering what yours are :)**

**(And that wraps up chapter 12! Guess what? With this chapter we introduce the last of the main characters! That means we're finished with introductions and can only progress further! No more detours! We are at the full story and now all we can do is finish the last half! :D I'm pumped XD Adieu~)**


	13. Tropical Fruit

**This took me so long to get to and I don't even know why. But it's here now so I hope you enjoy.**

**Also, I'd like to recommend ****_Little Red Riding Hood_**** by samettikettu. It's an awesome AceLu fic :D**

**Disclaimer: I should hire a writer to come up with something interesting for me to put here. Oh, wait...**

* * *

A prompt knock filled the air as Mark took a step back, waiting for the ones on the other side to respond. He adjusted his glasses, wondering just what, exactly, he was going to do during his visit. Sure he had to take a look at the manuscript, but that wouldn't take long. He told Ace they could talk, but he wasn't really sure what to say. The boy's last display left him speechless. Seeing someone turn their finger into flames wasn't exactly conventional. But he agreed to meet with him and he _did_ want some answers, so there was no turning back.

When the door opened, he was met with gray eyes and a large grin. The self-proclaimed pirate ushered him inside, movements eager and hurried. The blonde was curious about that but said nothing, stepping inside calmly as he continued to ponder the situation. His mind went blank when his eyes scrolled to the couch, looking over the resting form of his son.

"He passed out as soon as we got home," Ace stated, noticing the other's stares.

"Stayed up all night?"

"How did you…?"

"It's a bad habit of his," the editor stated, removing his shoes before nearing the sleeping blonde, staring down at him with a soft sort of fondness as he adjusted the blanket thrown haphazardly over his body. "If he's worried about something or stressed, he stays up and reads or draws—anything to keep himself occupied."

Ace blinked. "Guess you would know, huh?"

Mark smiled. "Even if he hates me, I still raised him."

The youth didn't seem to agree, as he furrowed his brow and eyed the editor. "He doesn't hate you. You're Marco—he _can't_ hate you."

After a silent stare-down, the blonde sighed. Well, at least the boy was optimistic. It seemed, however, that he was still having trouble differentiating between real people and characters from the book. "I'm not Marco," he declared, moving into the kitchen to keep from disturbing the resting author. A quick glace to Ace showed that his words might have done more damage than he intended, but they needed to be said. Whether that boy was from the book or not, he needed to understand that he wasn't talking to the characters.

Begrudgingly, Fire Fist followed, leaning against the wall as the guest took a seat. Although hesitant, he spoke. "…You're not him, but he's based off you."

"That doesn't mean—"

"If he hated you, he wouldn't have made Marco," Ace interrupted, resolve clear in his voice. Taking one look at the fire user as he swept a frustrated hand through his hair, Mark almost felt guilty. The kid really missed the characters from the book, didn't he? "Marco… he was like a brother to me. He was strong and he looked out for us. Why would Sabo make him like that if he hated you?"

…He had a point, but…

Dropping the subject, Mark glanced at the laptop on the table, clearly belonging to his son. Well, he might as well get to work. Taking it from his place and settling it in front of him, he lifted the screen and pressed the power button. It seemed Ace wanted to say more so he allowed the boy to speak, though he wasn't paying much attention.

"How the hell did _you_ end up their father, anyways? Do you know how messed up that is?"

Mark raised an eyebrow. "I adopted them. What's so wrong about that?"

"It's just weird, alright? Back home, you were like a brother to me. Here you're my brothers' father. Do you know how strange that is? Not to mention, hearing Luffy call you 'Dad' just about gave me a heart attack!"

At that point, the blonde was ignoring Ace, typing in his son's password: _fuckoffPineapple._ Well, at least the boy had a sense of humor. It was sad how he knew Mark would do that, though. Just how predictable was he? Well, no matter—his job was to get the manuscript and that's what he was doing.

Opening the latest book's document, he began scrolling through the file. He already knew the basics of the story—what Sabo intended to happen—but he had to check for quality. Known author or not, it wasn't unheard of for manuscripts to contain rushed parts full of mistakes or scenes that just didn't make sense. Still, he could get the bulk of his work done at a later date. All he wanted was to skim it, if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

"Hey, Marco," Ace began, voice suddenly a lot softer than before.

"Mark," he corrected.

"I refuse to use that name." The blonde gave him an amused look, silently asking for him to explain. "It's stupid and I hate it."

"Do you realize how childish that sounds?"

"Shut up, Pineapple." They shared a glare before, minutes later, Ace broke away, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "What… happened to them?"

"Hm?"

"Sabo and Luffy—what happened? I know I'm missing something, so tell me."

At first Mark actually considered replying. He may have answered, were it not for the boy sleeping in the other room. Eventually, though, he looked back to the laptop, scrolling through chapter after chapter. "Figure it out or ask him yourself."

The fire user groaned in annoyance, fire licking his shoulders as he tried to settle his temper. That certainly caught his attention; no matter how many times he saw the man catch fire, the blonde would never get used to it.

After a long stretch of silence, Ace sighed, slumping into the seat across the table. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

"Mhmm," he replied absently, pausing in his reading as he reached the second-last chapter. _Come to think of it…_ "Aren't you dead?"

The shocked look on the boy's face told him that he probably could have been a little subtler than that, but it was too late. At first Ace seemed surprised he asked. That quickly shifted to contemplation before he spoke.

"I don't remember dying. Last I recall, Lu was unlocking my cuffs. Then I ended up in Sabo's living room."

"You realize that makes no sense, right?"

Ace shrugged. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but—" Mark cut himself off, mouth agape. He couldn't believe it; at some point he'd accepted the kid's story and resigned to believe his claims of being a character from a book. It wasn't like he had much choice after seeing his little fire trick, but he was still shocked at how easily he went along with it. "…I'm getting a headache."

Ace grinned. "You're not the only one."

* * *

As per habit, an hour later found Mark preparing lunch. He did that often when he visited his son, even if he wasn't very welcomed. Having a fully-grown man looming over him as he cooked was a new experience, though. The pirate's stomach was bigger than his brain and for the past fifteen minutes he just kept standing there, waiting.

"Go away," he commanded, simultaneously adjusting his glasses as he prodded the meat.

"But I'm hungry," Ace complained.

"Then go eat a shoe."

"Why would I do that? You're making lunch."

Mark rolled his eyes. _That's his reasoning? Not, 'no, I have dignity'? _"You're annoying me. Go check on Sabo or something."

The fire user narrowed his eyes and looked like he was about to say something before deciding against it, promptly exiting the room. He was probably going to comment on how 'Marco' wasn't usually that rude. He'd been making comparisons ever since they met. Now he was granted a moment of peace, though. He loved it.

"You _let him in_?" he heard a familiar voice ask from the other room. Well, the author was awake.

"You never told me not to."

"I was _asleep._"

"Minor detail," Ace stated, his voice running flat and bored as he stalked back into the kitchen.

Mark sighed. _And the moment's gone._

"_You,_" Sabo spat as he stormed up to his adoptive father. The man could feel his son glaring at the back of his head but made no move to look at him. "I know you've already gotten the manuscript." The boy knew him well. "Get out."

At that, the blonde finally turn around, half-lidded eyes staring at the writer's face. "You're still tired," he stated, looking over the dark circles under his eyes. "Get some rest. You can leave the babysitting to me." Briefly he gazed at the pirate. As annoying as Ace could be, he didn't mind keeping him occupied, knowing that it was the best chance Sabo had for rest.

"Oi!" Ace protested, insulted by the claim that he needed supervision. His complains went unheard.

"Leave," Sabo ordered, "now."

At that point, Mark would usually go along with the demand and return home, but he couldn't help worrying. He could tell that the boy was wearing himself thin—probably hadn't had time to relax since his unexpected visitor showed up. Then there was the manuscript, which he just finished the day before. With so much going on at once, his health was bound to get worse. The blonde knew better than anyone that his son wasn't very good at caring for himself during stressful situations; otherwise he wouldn't have been so forceful.

So, in response, he turned back around and adjusted the meat.

Sabo groaned. "You're infuriating!"

_"If he hated you, he wouldn't have made Marco."_

The thought was almost comforting. Allowing a smile to grace his lips, he shuffled over to the pot and removed the lid, allowing the scent of cooking stew to fill the room, bombarding the youths' senses, causing their stomachs to growl.

"…Fine, do whatever you want. I'm going back to sleep."

* * *

As he finished replacing the last of the dishes, the editor dried his hands and looked into the living room at the motionless body of a certain half naked—Mark wasn't sure when he took off his shirt—pirate as he snored away. At first he thought he'd leave him there, allow him to wake on his own, but after twenty minutes of him lying there he assumed he'd have to do something. The guy was large and muscled so carrying him over to the couch was a plan doomed to fail. Waking him was his best bet.

"Oi, Ace," he started, nudging the narcoleptic with his foot. He didn't budge. "Wake up."

Groaning as a shoe prodded his side, Ace forced himself up, sleep-filled eyes staring into oblivion as he backed onto his heels. The vacant look in his eyes was proof enough that he wasn't really awake. Well, it didn't matter so long as he was at least somewhat responsive.

Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, Mark shook him lightly, catching his attention. "If you're going to sleep, at least move to the couch."

A pair of glazed, gray eyes met his. Then Ace scowled. "Marco, it's too early," he slurred, voice barely coherent as he curled back onto the ground, much to the editor's displeasure. "You're a phoenix, not a rooster," the pirate grumbled as his head hit the wooden floor.

Mark furrowed his eyebrows. "It's night, not morning, and I'm not Marco. Get up; the couch is a lot more comfortable, I assure you."

"Go away, turkey."

The blonde sighed. Moving him was an effort in vain, it seemed. It was getting late, so he supposed heading home was best. First he would have to drop off the manuscript, though. Turning on his heel, he sighed. "I'm leaving, then."

Ace's eyes shot open and he grabbed tightly to the blonde's pant leg. "Marco, don't—" He cut himself off, blinking. "You're… Mark."

The editor looked down at the pirate with amusement. Well, at least he got him up. Ignoring the comment, he pointed to the couch. "Lay there if you're going to sleep."

"Oh, uh… right." Fire Fist picked himself up and plopped down on the cushioned surface, his wide-eyed expression turning back to the blonde. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah," Mark replied as he grabbed his suitcase.

"…When are you coming back?"

Curiously, the older man looked Ace over, spotting the hint of worry in his eyes. Offering a comforting smile, he said, "Soon." Turning back around and heading into the hallway, he scratched the back of his head.

Ace really missed his family. But that had nothing to do with him.

So… why did he feel guilty?

* * *

**A/N: So not a very eventful chapter, but an important one. Thing'll be picking up after this, so consider this 'the calm before the storm.'**

**To my lovelies~**

**teengens: Well, let's just say I have done and will do worse things to the characters in my fics :P Yes, you are correct, Sabo mentioning that is important. As for Luffy's issues... you'll find out eventually :D**

**Son Goshen: Yes, yes it does. I always intended for one of the main themes to be the divide between reality and fiction, but I originally was going to have Law killed off in the midst of the fic, so I went with the lesser of two evils. Or worse, depending on your viewpoint. **

**jam klaoo: Glad you like! I'm glad you liked those scenes, they're fun to include ^^ Refresh the rest of my work? Do you mean update my other stories? Because I've been updating them. In fact, this was the last one...**

**scatteredPhilosopher: Here's more :D**

**Vergina-spva: Lol yep, it was pretty obvious XD But that's okay, I'm slow at figuring things out, too. Well this chapter shouldn't raise many questions at least! **

**spoons-are-evil: I know right?! It would be such a let-down. And so confusing. Very anticlimactic. When I imagined him wearing a white suit, I imagined him being like Lad from ****_Baccano!_**** talking about how the white would make the blood of his victims look pretty XD Nope, no fuzzy hat. Wouldn't be appropriate for a professor to wear, you know? Yep, you were right ^^ We'll see about that theory ;) **

**TegzTsinelas: Sorry ^^; There's a reason I had Law paralysed, though. Since Lawrence is different from Law, he's hard to add humour to. Sorry again... His last name can be whatever, I don't plan on mentioning it :P **

**sakura240: Glad you like and here's an update :)**

**The-Chibi-Master564: Sorry, but it was necessary :P Glad you like!**

**buslimpan: Yep, probably the worst thing that could have happened to him. Glad you do! I thought it was a good way to lighten things up a bit :)**

**ssspooky: What I might do is imply the relationship so that people who want SaboAce can have it but people who don't like the couple can still keep reading :) **

**Matoo: Thanks! As stated above, I think I might make the relationship subtle so that whoever wants it can have it but the people who don't like it don't have to deal with it, since people are pretty divided on the matter. Here's more! :D**

**Kitsune Foxfire: Lol it could be XD Glad you like him!**

**Sealing Mistress: He got to meet him and Sabo didn't have much say in the matter, fortunately! He WAS going to be a doctor, but that became really difficult to do after he was in the accident. Nah, it's okay, rambling can be amusing XD**

**AkaiyukiDaten-shi: Here's more! Thank you~ I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it ^^**

**(THERE! We updated :D So I hope you liked the chapter even though it was pretty low-tension. It's important! I swear! It just doesn't seem like it. And to anyone who reads ****_Skip_****, I recently wrote out the last chapter and epilogue :D But we're not there yet, so you won't get to see it for a while. But yeah, please leave a review and I'll be back with another chapter when I can :) Adieu~)**


	14. A Night of Mysteries

**After a forever-long wait, the next chapter appears. Firstly: even if it seems really slow and meh, there are a ****_ton_**** of important hints. I promise the next chapter is more interesting. (Yes, it's already written.) Or it is to me, at least. It ****_does_**** pick up in pace, though. Also, got a new fic started called ****_Amidst the Heat_**** if anyone's interested.**

*****So a few people have told me they're getting bored with the fic. Well, I originally intended to make it longer, but if you guys want I can rush to the ending and try to get there in about 5-7 chapters. So please VOTE! Do you want me to go with the original plan (I have it planned out up to the ending) or rush to it within a few chapters and get it over with? Please tell me, because I'll start writing accordingly.**

**Diclaimer: Same old, same old. Second year university is terrifying, by the way.**

* * *

By the time Sabo was fully rested, Ace had fallen asleep. It was just before ten so he couldn't blame the man. In fact, he was happy. It gave him time to think in the quiet tranquillity of his house without worrying of the fire user bugging him all hours of the day.

Draping a thin blanket over his brother's still form, he allowed the upward curl of a smile to grace his lips. Keeping the fire user warm wasn't really necessary because of his element, but he felt better knowing there was something shielding the pirate from the open air.

Stepping away from the couch and into the kitchen, Sabo sighed, spotting the plateful of food wrapped and waiting for him on the counter. A note attached caught his attention and he grabbed it, scanning the lines of neat cursive with his eyes. The writing was familiar.

_You're an adult. Take better care of yourself and eat properly, otherwise I'll be over every day making sure you do._

As much as he wanted to scoff at the insinuation that at his age he still needed help maintaining a healthy lifestyle, he couldn't with his past track-record. He went to the hospital once because of malnutrition._ That _he blamed on his publisher. With the deadlines he was forced to conform to, how was he supposed to bother with a dietary plan? Well, other authors worked under the same circumstances and did fine, but… he had a bad habit of getting absorbed in his work. Once started, it took a lot to tear him away from a chapter. Normally he wouldn't stop until it was complete—didn't feel right to leave it half finished.

Mark worried too much. That was _years_ ago! He wasn't as incompetent as he was before. Still, the fact that someone was concerned about him… it was nice.

* * *

_"Oi, kid, where're your parents?"_

_He scoffed, turning away, "In the ground—same as everyone else around here."_

_"…You're alone?"_

_"No!" he shouted, turning back to the man with piercing eyes. He glared his hardest, a growing discomfort forming in his chest. Just the thought of living there, on his own, with no one to talk to and no one who cared… it was terrifying. "I have—"_

* * *

Sabo swallowed as the steam from his re-heated meal found its way into his nostrils, his mouth watering. While he wouldn't admit it to his face, his father sure knew how to cook. Mark had to, he supposed, since there was no one else. If not him, then who? Luffy was too young to cook a proper meal at the time and Sabo, well… he wasn't in such a great state himself. Those first few months living with his new caretaker were almost a blur to him. He couldn't remember much because he didn't _do_ much. Day in and day out, he just stared. The days and nights meshed together, becoming indistinguishable from one another. All he could really recall were a few glimpses of Mark, speaking words he couldn't understand, offering food he didn't taste…

Looking back, Sabo almost felt guilty for putting the man through what he did. It must have been tough.

Well, that was in the past!

Spoon dipping into the bowl beside his right hand, he took a bite out of the stew. The taste was nostalgic, though it shouldn't have been; he'd been eating a lot of Mark's cooking as of late. Even still, the taste brought him back to a time long ago when it was just the three of them.

Picking up his fork, he tangled it in the noodles on his plate, grabbing chunks of vegetables before raising it to his mouth. It was a weird combination. Who cooked stew and spaghetti for the same meal? Then again, Mark's cooking had always been bizarre like that; he shouldn't have been surprised, seeing as he grew up with it. And who was he to complain when he hadn't eaten all day?

As he ate, the lingering smell of cooked meat turned his stomach. He knew the man had cooked something for Ace as well—it smelled like chicken—but it still felt strange, having that stuff in his flat. It wasn't that he minded feeding Ace meat. In fact, it'd feel wrong not to, seeing as he created him to like that stuff. He just couldn't help the strange feeling that filled him when he smelled it, like something was wrong.

_Well, whatever._

After eating his fill, he found himself staring out the kitchen window, watching the street below fill with red, yellow and green lights as cars drove by, splitting the black backdrop of the night into a field of luminous flowers. It looked almost pretty. It was rare for him to bother looking outside, seeing as he was always so busy. He planned the layout of the next installment of _One Piece_ when he was at Luffy's the previous night, so there really wasn't anything more to do. He'd have a week of relaxation, possibly more, before he had to get back to writing. Now that he was allowed time to himself, though, he wasn't sure what to do.

In the end, he stepped away from the window and headed to the bathroom. A shower was in order. But as he was passing through the hall he caught a glimpse of his study. Realization hit him hard and he sighed. It'd been a few days since he said that he'd fix the room up so that Ace could sleep there but he hadn't the time to actually get to it. There was a futon packed away somewhere, so all he needed to do was move everything around and it would be livable. Still, the futon was old… maybe getting an actual bed would be best.

…How long would Ace be staying with him?

Tearing his eyes from the study, he turned around and entered the bathroom across the hall, turning the hot water tap fully to the left. As nice and roomy as his loft was, the water always took forever to heat up. It was annoying to stand there and wait so he slipped out into his bedroom to grab a fresh set of clothes.

First he unbuttoned his shirt, slipping his hand free of the cuffs and stiff material, allowing it to fall from his shoulders. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes immediately fell on the stark black ink on his arm. Eyes narrowing, he traced the tattoo with his fingers, swallowing heavily. He wondered what Ace's reaction would be if he saw it—what he would do and say. It was sure to be an eventful experience; one that he knew was unavoidable. He accepted that. There were many things he hadn't told the pirate. It wasn't that he intentionally hid them from him—he wasn't keeping secrets—but he wouldn't go out of his way to explain, either.

Some things were better left unsaid.

Dropping his remaining garb to the floor, he stepped into the shower and allowed the hot streams of water to glide over his tense, sore muscles, closing his eyes as he released a heavy breath. Nothing was more relaxing than a hot shower. It allowed him to forget the stresses of everyday life—to take a moment for himself, away from the chaotic atmosphere of everyday life.

Sometimes he needed to shut out the world around him, because that was the only way he knew how to cope.

* * *

At times, Sabo forgot he had a balcony. It was just a small little thing connected to his bedroom and normally went unnoticed, but when he remembered it was there and stared out at the world below, it was almost breathtaking. Sure, it didn't offer some romantic view of the sunset or a beach or nature or whatever the hell people liked about views, but he liked it that way. Instead of the natural world, he was greeted with cars honking and skidding along the road, trucks tearing across the cement and trains noisily making their way down the railroad tracks. Skyscrapers and shops obscured the view of the sky, but he didn't mind. In fact, he liked it. It reminded him of his childhood.

In a way, he supposed there were a few select truths to his counterpart's backstory in _One Piece_. They were few and far between, but still there, ever so subtly. Only, well, he didn't recall anything of a forest or spending his days scavenging for useful materials in a dump. In all actuality, he wasn't sure where he got the idea for that. Well, a lot of his plot was odd like that. Oh well.

Breathing the smoggy air of the late night, he felt his senses grow more alert with the chilled air and it became obvious that he wasn't going back to bed anytime soon. He supposed he could start on rearranging the study. As uneventful as that would be, it needed to be done. Hopefully the noise wouldn't wake Ace… Who was he kidding? That man could sleep through anything.

* * *

It was going to be a late night.

After handing a physical copy of the manuscript to his boss, Mark decided not to go straight home. Instead he went to a restaurant he frequented, sitting at the bar in the back as he always did. He wasn't a drinker but, well, he knew a lot of the people who worked there; making small-talk with whoever manned the bar while getting work done on his next assignment didn't sound too bad.

Flipping open his laptop as he waited for his order, he immediately clicked on the file containing his son's most recent manuscript. While Sabo was finished and freed of his duties, Mark was just getting started. He had to go through an in-depth reading of every chapter, make notes on all of the grammatical errors, broken sentences and plot holes he could find, then show them to the author before making the changes and handing it over to the publishing company so that they could begin the arduous task of getting it printed. It was a bit annoying doing things that way—he would have preferred to make the corrections right then and there—but he didn't have the authority to change whatever he wanted. It was Sabo's book, not his. Everything had to go by him before it could be finalized.

He'd already noted the corrections for the first large portion of the story while at his son's house, which included all of Impel Down. Now he was starting on Marineford—from Ace being brought to his execution on a marine vessel. After meeting the character in person, he was a bit confused. The Ace in the story was far less whiny and playful. He was serious, mature and dignified. Sure both shared their temper and, from what he gathered from the few conversations he had with the man, their strong connection to Luffy. They weren't the same, though. But why was he so different?

Sitting there, reading over the words written by his son, he could picture it vividly—Ace waiting there, fixed to a chair, approaching his final destination. How did it feel, knowing that he was going to his deathbed—knowing his little brother was fighting desperately to save him?

How did it feel, waking up to find everything he knew was gone?

"You're doing that thing with your eyebrows again, Mark."

Glancing over his screen to the redhead behind the bar, the editor scowled further, pulling his attention back to his reading just as quickly. "You're tending the bar tonight?"

"Got kicked out of the kitchen," he said with a shrug. "Apparently they don't like it when rookies start lecturing their head chef."

A small smile tugged at Mark's mouth. "Sounds like you," he remarked, going back to writing corrections. Ace was being called up for execution. His heart clenched, knowing that the person that happened to was, somehow, real. He was living, breathing, and freeloading at Sabo's place.

_The officer called to Ace, beckoning him over. He stood strong and proud, accepting of his fate despite knowing that, soon enough, he would no longer exist. Shackles clanked against the cobblestone floor. The sound of heavy footsteps passing through the hall reverberated against the walls, sending a chilling echo to meet his ears. Looking up, he was met with a long, stone staircase. It was dark, damp, just like his cell in Impel Down. At the end was white light, waiting to greet him with harsh reality. Soon, he would be nothing more than a memory._

"What'cha doing?" the redhead called, trying to peek over his screen.

Well, that was one way to ruin the moment. That man had a horribly bad habit of opening his mouth whenever Mark was working. He probably did it on purpose—to bother him. "I'm looking over my son's manuscript," he answered simply.

"Ah," he noised, "Sabo, right?"

Mark nodded.

"Seems like an interesting kid. Still can't see you as a parent, though."

The editor stopped what he was doing and cocked an eyebrow at the bartender. "You're the second person to say that today."

The man grinned. "It's true! I mean really, Mark, you're not—"

At that point he tuned him out, allowing him to blather on as he always did while Mark got back to his reading. The chapter ended with the reveal of Ace's father being Gol D. Roger and the arrival of the Whitebeard pirates and their allies. If he hadn't skimmed the story earlier in the day—and if he wasn't the author's editor—he would have thought poor Ace stood a chance. When that installment hit the shelves in the upcoming months, that part would renew the readers' hopes. Up until then, no major characters died throughout the series. Almost every flashback contained some sort of death or tragedy, though. He had to wonder if Sabo intended for that or if it was an unconscious coincidence.

The next chapter was a flashback. Of course, that meant someone would die, if the pattern continued. He hadn't read who that person was when he skimmed. Teach was likely the murderer, since he was the reason Ace left the crew.

It started with the day Ace left his home island to begin his journey and skimmed a few important events, like his encounter with Red Hair Shanks. Then, before long, he was on Edward Newgate's ship. He lost horribly to the old man and woke up on the Moby Dick. When he arrived on deck he was greeted by a redhead by the name of—

_"I'm Thatch," he stated, sitting on the rail with a mischievous grin._

"—so it's weird knowing you have kids! I mean, considering all that, can you blame me?"

Mark blinked out of his stupor to stare at the bartender, eyes roving over his aged, scarred face. "…Your name's Thatch, isn't it?"

A betrayed look crossed the man's face, turning quickly to melodramatic heartbreak. "You forgot? I mean I know you haven't known me long, but come on! I thought we had something special!"

Mark rolled his eyes. So his guess was right. But, as far as he knew, Sabo never met Thatch. How could he base a character off of someone he didn't know? Well, there was only one way to find out. "Do you know someone named Ace?"

Thatch froze, his ranting silenced as he stared into the blond's eyes. "…Ace?" He waited for Mark to once more confirm the name. "…I did, but do you?"

* * *

**A/N: So yeah. Don't forget to review and vote on whether or not I should rush to the ending of the fic!**

**To my lovelies~**

**Guest: It's okay, I can't speak French but I can read it mostly ^^ Really happy to hear you're enjoying it!**

**azab: We shall see ;)**

**TegzTsinelas: Luffy'll be appearing again in a few chapters. Well I've been slowly unraveling the mysteries, it's just up until now they've been subtle so people don't seem to be catching them :/ If you want, you can vote for me to rush the story so you can find out quicker. If you don't mind waiting, though, then it'll get more in-depth.**

**scatteredPhilosopher: Glad you like!**

**ssspooky: A lot of people don't like it, actually ^^; But hey, it's all personal preference, right? And some people are very serious about their pairings, so they only read their favourites. You're welcome~**

**Kitsune Foxfire: Yeah, it's actually pretty depressing when you think about it. But, in Perona's words: good things will happen! And bad. Definitely bad. **

**Guest (2): Hehe glad you thought it was funny XD**

**mad100141: Lol the hints aren't that hard to read into, you just have to read carefully. But this chapter has A LOT of hints and some are a little more obvious than others, so you should be fine. Though, things are also about to get more complicated... unless people vote to rush it, of course. But hey, I'm happy either way :D Yes, I think that kills o.o**

**jam klaoo: Well here's an update! You're welcome~**

**yukiko hyuga-chan: Hehe glad you like~**

**spoons-are-evil: Isn't it?! Lol I have a joke about him having children in the next chapter :P This Marco is VERY blunt, in cast you haven't noticed. And he's a bit of an asshole. You'll see what I mean next chapter. Well, did you expect this as the early warnings of the 'storm?'**

**Ano Crazy Adventurer: Here is an update, my lovely~ You'll be questioning more starting next chapter ;) **

**Son Goshen: The site's hasn't been sending me all of the updates, either T^T If you look between the lines, it IS depressing. The whole fic is. And it's going to be depressing once more next chapter, if you read between the lines. Good things will happen! And bad :P**

**Wolf and MR Lover: There is a reason for how weird Luffy is, I assure you ;) Glad I was able to make you laugh :D**

**Dreamerall: Hehe awesome XD I'm happy to hear that you found it funny! I have updated! We'll be getting back to Luffy in a few chapters (as soon as 2 chapters if people vote to rush to the end, otherwise probably three chapters).**

**Frostheart D. Blaize: Really? XD**

**Vergina-spva: Sorry, I'm trying but I've got lots of stories going :/ And I guess I kinda didn't feel like working on it after a few people said they were getting bored of it. But I'm back! Even got the next chapter done, and I'm going to try to stay ahead just in case I get writer's block again. Nope, I'm still writing. School just started back up, though, so it's tough. This chapter probably DID raise more questions :P**

**(So... we are entering the more fun-to-write portion of the fic :D I gots ma groove back! Remember to VOTE and review and all that lovely stuff and I'll see you guys next update! Adieu~)**


End file.
